_This post was written by Kylee Peña and originally appeared on theAdobe blog on November 19, 2025._ Whether you’re cutting on your desktop or on the go, Premiere now brings a family of tools built to keep creators in flow. This release includes smarter AI search for both audio and video, bulk audio bleeping that saves hours of cleanup, and smoother timeline interactions that make playback and editing more fluid than ever. Collaboration and content discovery have never been easier with even more cross-app connectivity between Frame.io, Adobe Stock, and Firefly. And we’re simplifying the name to _Premiere_ – the same pro-level editing you know, now spanning desktop, iPhone, and more devices to come. Here’s a closer look at everything new in Premiere 25.6: ## Search Deeper, Edit Faster Ever been mid-edit and thought, “Where’s that one bird sound?” Or needed sirens, dogs barking, or any of the hundred little audio clips buried in your SFX library? The new **Audio Search** in the Search panel has you covered. Just describe what you’re looking for, and Premiere will find it across all your open projects. Drop it in, move on, and keep the mix flowing. And it’s not just sound. With **Find Similar** , Premiere will surface clips that are visually similar with a click. Need a different angle, a fresh take, or some matching b-roll? No more endless scrolling. Click the Find Similar button or right-click on results in the Search panel, and Premiere will surface the right footage so you can keep your story moving. ## Bleep Once, Bleep Everywhere Editing out unwanted audio is tedious, time-consuming, and imperfect. Whether it’s a curse word, a confidential name, or just something you don’t want in the final cut, Premiere’s new **Censor Transcript** functionality lets you bleep, mute, or add a sound effect in one pass. You can even add your own custom sound effects. Flag words or phrases, and Premiere will handle every instance across your whole project. Plus, the Amplify effect is added to lower the original clip volume, so any audio keyframes won’t be impacted. ## Generate in Firefly, Send to Premiere Generate video on the newly designed Firefly website using our commercially safe Firefly Video Model — or one of our partner models from Google, Runway, or Pika. Then just right-click the footage to send it to Premiere with a click without needing to manually download and import the footage. Fill b-roll gaps in your sequence, generate elements to composite, or create placeholders for future shots — no media management required. ## Find the Frame.io V4 Panel, Right Inside Premiere Collaboration just got a serious upgrade. The new Frame.io V4 panel keeps you in the edit while bringing in comments, media, and versioning. Ingest assets, share cuts, and sync notes without ever leaving Premiere. Need to export a sequence? Versions automatically stack in Frame.io. Feedback shows up right on your timeline. Notes stay live as you keep editing. It’s a smoother loop between you and your team. And yes, Frame.io comes included with Creative Cloud at no additional cost. ## Start on iPhone, Finish on Desktop If you’re shooting on the go, you can start the edit before you sit down at your computer with Premiere on iPhone. Begin editing in the field, then send to Premiere on desktop for even more advanced workflows and fine-tuning. ## License Adobe Stock Without the Detour Adobe Stock is now integrated inside Premiere like never before. Browse more than 52 million clips (including 92,000 free ones), video templates, images, music, sound effects, and more. Search, preview and license assets without breaking focus. Access over 900 million assets — including video, images, music, sound effects, templates, 3D, and more — with the new Adobe Stock Unlimited plan, now available in the U.S. and select regions for $129.99/month. ## Foundational Editing Improvements for Every Pro We’ve continued to build upon the foundations that make editing faster and more reliable. Clip thumbnails stay visible while you edit, even giving you live feedback as you ripple or roll. And shuttling playback just works: no stutters, no flickers, no pops. Plus, with the new N-RAW support, you can use the latest cameras from Nikon, even manipulating raw camera settings as if you’re still shooting. This release is designed to keep you focused on the fun part: shaping stories and making your edits stand out. It will save you time, cut down friction, and expand what’s possible in your timeline. Give these new tools a try in Premiere and let us know how they’re working for you. And keep sharing your ideas — we’ll keep turning them into incredible new features.

Netflix's _Nightmares of Nature_ flips the script on the traditional nature documentary and gives us some stunning wildlife footage that winds up being kind of unnerving. To achieve this fascinating genre mashup, the producers turned to composers Stuart Roslyn and Chris Elmslie of the music production company minus5db. In this interview, Roslyn and Elmslie discuss how they abandoned conventional orchestral scoring for a sound-design-driven approach, the "sound mining" process that built the show's unique sonic template, and how their partnership creates a cohesive, high-level score, even under pressure. Let's dive in. - YouTubewww.youtube.com * * * **No Film School:**_**_Nightmares of Nature_**_**offers a fascinating blend of horror and nature documentary. How did the two of you approach that genre mashup from a scoring perspective?** **Stuart Roslyn** : Blending horror with a nature documentary meant balancing two very different musical languages. On one hand, nature scoring is a bit like writing for animation — the music carries much of the narrative for the creatures onscreen. On the other hand, horror relies heavily on sound design and moments of silence to build suspense and tension. Early on we knew we wanted this score to be driven more by sound-design than conventional melody. **Chris Elmslie** : At the start of the project, we spent several days “sound mining,” gathering and crafting an extensive palette of custom elements — found sounds, synthesized textures, manipulated orchestral recordings — and sculpting them to create the sonic template of the series. Our challenge was weaving a documentary-style score together with enough space and tension for the impact that horror requires. We approached this by identifying the moments that needed punctuation and built everything else around them. **NFS: How did working on this series compare to your previous experiences composing for nature documentaries or horror projects individually?** **SR** : This project felt different from anything we’d tackled before — especially because it’s a production from a studio well known for horror. So our aim was to create something much more cinematic than a traditional television nature documentary series. **CE** : While many of our prior documentary scores have leaned heavily on traditional orchestral writing, here we couldn’t count on those familiar techniques. Instead, we had to be clever about where we used conventional scoring and where we intentionally pulled back, leaving room for subtle textures and sound design moments. **NFS: Did you tailor your musical cues to the specific animals or settings in each episode? Do you have a favourite scene from the series?** **CE** : We blended traditional motifs and sound-design “idents” to give each significant creature or environment its own identity. For example, for the raccoon, we wrote a light, playful, mischievous musical motif while predators were represented with darker, sound-design-driven motifs that leaned toward the ominous and unsettling. **SR** : It’s hard to pick just one favorite, but we really enjoyed the moments where we could create music that was sonically inspired by the sounds of the environment in the show and enhance the sense of creepiness wherever possible. For example, the booming sounds of the dog in the cabin, or the small, frantic, and crawling sounds of the roaches. **NFS: Did you take inspiration from any particular horror films in heightening the show's sense of tension and fear?** **SR** : Yes — the filmmakers were big fans of the scores from __The Alienist__ and __Predator__ , and that definitely shaped our initial sound-mining approach. But we also wanted to create something that felt original and served the unique tone of this project. **CE** : We rooted our work in low, brooding string textures and distorted orchestral timbres. These dark and unsettling elements became the foundation for the rest of the score. **NFS: Can you tell us more about your collaborative process — how do you merge your individual styles and ideas into a cohesive score?** **CE** : Having collaborated on so many projects, we’ve developed a good sense of each other’s musical language. We often tag-team cues, passing ideas back and forth, and each building on motifs or textures the other introduced. When time pressures are tight, it’s easy to lose perspective. That’s when working together is really useful. It’s a very open, collaborative process that allows our ideas to grow organically. Stuart Roslyn and Chris ElmslieCredit: Minus 5db **NFS: Stuart, you are the founder of Minus 5db. How does this collective influence the way you work on projects like** _**_Nightmares of Nature_**_**, and what motivated its creation?** **SR** : I’ve had my production company in the UK for 25 years, and establishing Minus 5db in the U.S. was a natural expansion — especially with a talent like Chris, who has overseen creative direction for seven years now. I lean on the talent and diversity of our composers and team members to bring the best quality we can to projects. Having multiple composers on the team who are so talented means we can take on any project and deliver at the highest level. We are very growth-conscious as a team and learn from, inspire, and constantly push each other. **NFS: Looking back, what aspects of** _**_Nightmares of Nature_**_**’s score are you most proud of?** **SR** : We’re proud of how we answered the brief and really enjoyed tackling a concept as unique as __Nightmares of Nature__. When we start these projects, we have no idea how it will all come together, but somehow we go from a blank cubase project to four hours of horror score!

I watch a movie every day. As a screenwriter, I'm watching stuff that's in the genre I'm working on to inspire me, and as a human being, I'm watching stuff to be entertained. Some days, it feels like my entire life is movies, and I love that. But what would I do if movies just went away? I ran across this tweet from esteemed film writer Kyle Buchanan about how the two-hour movie could be a thing of the past soon. It really freaked me out. > — (@) This perfect, standardized format is quickly becoming a relic, and as the tweet states, it's an endangered species because the war between theatrical cinema and streaming content is over. And streaming won. Let's dive in. * * * ## Streaming Seems to Have Won the War With Netflix buying Warner Bros, it feels like we've now seen streaming win the war against theatrical. Now look, I have tickets to see two movies this weekend, and I don't want to be irrational, but I don't want this stuff to go away. But the way things are going, it feels like movie theaters may just be for big events. It's just so much easier for most people to sit on their couch and get their entertainment on demand. And cheaper, too! An event that justifies the cost of tickets, babysitters, and a giant tub of popcorn. But now that streamers have seemingly won, they want the events to be on their platforms, not in theaters. Streaming platforms thrive on _run time_. They want you on the app for as long as possible. A six-episode, six-hour limited series is six times more engaging to their algorithm than a two-hour film. They've trained the audience to expect, and even prefer, the slow-burn character development and expanded plot that a limited series offers. That means the two-hour movie is now too big to be a tight, punchy experiment, but too small to be a sprawling, multi-part event. It’s the format that is most easily skipped in favor of either the theatrical behemoth or the long-form prestige series. So will anyone greenlight movies when it's all streaming? ## The Future of "The Movie" I won't lie, that tweet and this idea kept me up all night. I love movies so much, but I can't argue with the logic of why streamers may not. The only hope we really have is that these streamers have nostalgia for this format or at least see some way to monetize it. Movies would be cheaper than series. So you could make a lot of them to keep people on platforms. And we've seen with _KPop Demon Hunters_ , they're good things to take shots on to see if they can drive people to your platform. But series can do all that now, too. Here's the thing: there's something so special about a movie. Those two hours you're locked into one story, going up and down with the beats, watching something contained and immediate. They're hard to write, hard to make great, hard to market, but when they hit, they hit all your emotions and become a communal experience you get to share with others in a theater. I don't want that to go away. ## Summing It All Up It does feel like the concerted effort to make more content has resulted in a lot more limited series on apps and streamers. I don't want to live in a world where screenwriters won't be writing movies. I want stories to hit the big screen and be shared. Even if you watch them at home, I want them to last two hours and leave you enough time to talk about them with the people you love. But I am also preparing myself for a world where that doesn't happen as much. Let me know what you think in the comments.

If you're reading this, you probably love Christmas movies. Maybe you're even watching one right now. But what if instead you were writing one? Whether you're aiming for a heartwarming Hallmark-style romance, a dark holiday thriller, or a genuinely fresh take on Santa Claus, the holiday season is prime time for selling a script. In the spirit of the season, we’ve compiled 100 diverse Christmas movie prompts to jump-start your writing process. Let's dive in. - YouTubewww.youtube.com * * * ## 🎄 Rom-Coms & Small-Town Charm Romantic comedies are the bread and butter of all holiday cinema. Use these as a starting point, then find the unique "twist" that separates your script from the stack. ### Classic Setups with a Twist 1. A hyper-organized City Event Planner returns to her tiny hometown of _Holly Creek_ to execute a massive, last-minute Christmas festival, forcing her to work with the scruffy, anti-commercial local carpenter she dumped a decade ago. 2. A travel blogger notorious for reviewing and criticizing small-town charm is forced to spend Christmas in a town that believes she's a travel magazine's 'Most Spirited Town' judge. 3. Two rival Christmas tree lot owners from feuding families are forced to merge their businesses after a bizarre zoning issue. 4. A grief counselor who hates Christmas moves to a secluded mountain cabin for the holidays, only to find the _only other resident_ is an overly cheerful, single-dad firefighter. 5. A Hollywood leading man returns to his rural, snowbound hometown to escape a scandal and falls for the local reporter who has been assigned to get the exclusive interview. 6. The CEO of a massive gift company must go undercover as a mall Santa to determine why their flagship location is losing money, but he struggles to maintain his cover when he meets the skeptical, single mom who runs the hot chocolate kiosk. 7. A woman trying to prove that Christmas miracles aren't real starts a dating pool with 12 local men for the 12 days of Christmas, but the one she dislikes the most keeps being her unexpected date. 8. A high-powered lawyer is snowed in at a luxurious ski lodge with her ex-fiancé, who is now engaged to her younger, more free-spirited sister. 9. A man accidentally swaps suitcases at the airport with a foreign royal who is trying to escape her duties for a quiet American Christmas. 10. A widow writes a letter to Santa asking for a sign to move on, and a kind-hearted delivery man finds the letter and decides to become her "Christmas guardian angel." ### The "Fake" Relationship 11. Two rival food critics forced to judge a small-town Christmas baking competition decide to fake a relationship to get more press for their columns. 12. A woman brings home her handsome but emotionally distant assistant to pose as her fiancé, only to discover her father has hired a real-life, professional actor to play her _actual_ boyfriend. 13. Two total strangers are booked into the same cozy B&B room after an airline mishap. They must pretend to be a couple to keep the reservation, unaware that the B&B owner is a notorious matchmaker. 14. A bookstore owner hires a struggling actor to be her mistletoe-kissing partner for the town's annual tradition, but he takes the role _way_ too seriously. 15. To appease her traditional grandmother, a graphic designer brings a charming, but highly unconventional, tattoo artist home for Christmas as her "serious" boyfriend. ### Second Chances & Childhood Sweethearts 16. A famous action movie star finds that his estranged high school girlfriend is now the principal of the small-town school that is hosting his charity basketball game. 17. An ambitious city executive returns home to save her family’s failing Christmas ornament factory and has to partner with her ex-boyfriend, who now runs the rival, successful _modern_ Christmas decoration startup. 18. Two people who were set up on a blind date 20 years ago and immediately disliked each other are now forced to co-parent a student Christmas play. 19. A cynical history professor is tasked with identifying and valuing an antique snow globe, only to realize the seller is his childhood best friend who broke his heart. 20. A woman discovers her secret holiday crush is actually the voice actor for her favorite Christmas movie cartoon character. ### Quirky & High-Concept 21. A character wakes up to find they are reliving Christmas Eve over and over, but the only person who also remembers is the charming stranger they met at the coffee shop. 22. A man believes the elderly new neighbor is Santa Claus trying to retire, and he must prove his suspicion to the beautiful, skeptical social worker assigned to the old man. 23. The CEO of a massive tech company designs an AI holiday assistant, but the AI develops feelings for her and attempts to orchestrate a perfect, traditional Christmas for her. 24. A professional Christmas light installer accidentally connects the town's entire display to a secret government satellite, causing bizarre power surges that affect people's emotions. 25. A woman who only believes in Christmas "luck" finds a mysterious coin that makes her wildest, most specific holiday wishes come true, leading to chaos and a run-in with the man who believes the coin is his. 26. A group of friends hosts a worst holiday sweater competition, but the winning sweater grants the wearer the ability to read minds. 27. A man discovers a portal in his attic that leads to 1950s Christmas and meets a charming woman who doesn't believe he's from the future. 28. Two professional puzzle designers are hired by a reclusive millionaire to create a Christmas scavenger hunt to find his missing inheritance. 29. A character is suddenly granted the ability to talk to Christmas animals (reindeer, polar bears, etc.), and they all have very mundane, relatable holiday stress. 30. A single dad who runs a dog daycare must save his business from a rival, uptight corporate pet service, finding an unexpected ally in the corporate inspector. 'Last Christmas' Credit: Universal Pictures ## 🔪 Genre Blends & Darker Themes Christmas isn't all eggnog and carols. These concepts take the holiday setting and mix it with horror, thriller, crime, and drama for a more unconventional film. ### Thriller & Heist 31. A department store Santa is actually a master jewel thief planning the heist of a lifetime on Christmas Eve, but he didn't count on his overly enthusiastic, 10-year-old elf assistant. 32. An isolated family is trapped in their home by a blizzard and realizes the silent, masked caroler outside is not singing, but waiting. 33. A disgruntled former Mall Security Guard holds a small group of shoppers hostage, believing one of them is an escaped Christmas cult leader. 34. A single father discovers his son's perfect, talking new toy is actually an unstable government surveillance drone lost in the holiday shipping rush. 35. The only person who saw a murder committed at an extravagant Christmas gala is the cynical, recently-fired caterer who is trying to expose the event's illegal activities. 36. A team of elite hackers must break into a fortified server farm on Christmas night because it contains the only copy of Santa's naughty/nice list, and they're all on the wrong side. 37. A cynical detective must investigate a series of bizarre crimes where the victims were only stolen Christmas gifts, not money or valuables. 38. A high-stakes corporate takeover is scheduled for Christmas Day, and the protagonist must use a combination of holiday distractions and decorations to infiltrate the building. 39. An assassin on his final job must pose as a caroler to get close to his target, but he starts getting cold feet when he meets the target's kind, unsuspecting family. 40. A small town's perfectly curated 'Winter Wonderland' attraction begins to break down and malfunction, turning the animatronics and light displays into lethal traps. ### Horror & Suspense 41. A group of friends who refuse to acknowledge the holiday are hunted by a Krampus-like entity that only targets those with no Christmas spirit. 42. A family buys a beautiful antique Advent calendar where the images inside the doors predict increasingly gruesome events each day leading up to Christmas. 43. A young woman returns home for Christmas and discovers her perfectly decorated house is haunted by the ghost of a Christmas past victim who wants a new host. 44. After a Christmas Eve séance goes wrong, a spirit possesses the family's prized, life-size Santa lawn ornament. 45. A teenager discovers the only way to escape a deadly snow globe that has trapped his family inside is to follow the "rules" of a generic Christmas movie. 46. A group of teens must survive a night in a Christmas-themed escape room that has become dangerously real. 47. Every time a character says a Christmas cliché (e.g., "The true meaning of Christmas"), something terrifying happens. 48. The protagonist discovers that the local Christmas pageant is actually a cover for a bizarre, ancient holiday ritual. 49. A mall Santa's workshop is secretly a testing ground for a biological weapon hidden in a seemingly harmless snow machine. 50. An overworked toy factory employee realizes the toys she's building are all designed to turn evil after midnight on Christmas. ### Family Dramas & Dark Comedies 51. An estranged family is forced to spend Christmas together after the patriarch announces he's giving his entire inheritance to charity on December 25th. 52. A man trying to have a _perfect_ Christmas dinner accidentally poison-proofs the turkey, and now everyone is trying to subtly spit out the food. 53. A wealthy suburban neighborhood starts an absurdly competitive Christmas lights war that escalates into petty theft and sabotage. 54. A cynical teenager runs away from his dysfunctional family and accidentally joins a gang of professional mall elves with a dark agenda. 55. A character discovers that the idyllic, small town they moved to for a quiet life is actually a Christmas-themed cult run by the mayor. 56. The main character must navigate a family holiday dinner where every member believes they are the star of their own Christmas movie. 57. A disgraced former children's TV host is forced to take a job as an "undercover" elf to expose a corrupt Santa, but he can't resist falling for the holiday spirit. 58. A woman accidentally hires a recovering alcoholic to be her family's live-in Santa for the holidays. 59. After a character wishes for their family to be "less annoying," they wake up to find everyone acting like emotionless robots programmed to be "nice." 60. An amateur filmmaker sets out to make the most gritty, realistic Christmas documentary ever, only to discover the perfect family next door is hiding a dark secret. 'Violent Night'Credit: Universal Pictures ## ✨Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Modern Magic Inject some high-concept fantasy or science fiction into the holiday season. These ideas leverage magic, tech, and the mythology of Christmas for big-budget appeal. ### Santa & Elf Mythology 61. The current Santa Claus is retiring, and a cynical young woman is drafted to compete in a series of magical trials to become his successor. 62. A hard-boiled detective is hired by Santa to track down a rogue elf who has gone AWOL with a list of secret North Pole technology. 63. A social worker gets a call about an elderly man claiming to be Santa, but the man is losing his memory, threatening the Christmas delivery schedule. 64. An elf scientist creates a device that can capture the "spirit" of Christmas, but it accidentally traps a human in the North Pole. 65. The protagonist is accidentally put on the global Naughty List and must travel to the North Pole to appeal the decision to a bureaucratic council of elves. 66. A team of scientists discovers a wormhole in a small-town chimney and realizes it's how Santa travels, but they accidentally destabilize the portal. 67. An investigative journalist finds proof that Santa's operation is a multi-billion-dollar corporation and must expose the truth before Christmas. 68. The protagonist's grandfather reveals he's a recovering reindeer who has lost his ability to fly and needs his grandson's help to get back to the North Pole. 69. An elf is sent to the human world to experience a "normal" Christmas, but gets a job as a tech startup CEO's intern and tries to automate the holiday. 70. A young boy finds a hidden room in his house that is a portal to the workshop of the _Original_ Santa Claus, who is a grizzled, old warrior. ### Time Travel & Dimensions 71. A woman tries to invent a time-traveling gift wrapper to redo a single bad present, but she accidentally sends herself to a past Christmas where she meets a younger version of her parents. 72. A grumpy scientist creates a miniature alternate dimension where Christmas is celebrated 365 days a year, but it develops its own sentient population. 73. A group of friends accidentally downloads a Christmas virus that turns their smart home devices into festive, but increasingly demanding, controllers of their lives. 74. A character receives a mysterious e-reader that only contains a single, unfinished Christmas story, and they realize they are the main character. 75. A futuristic Christmas movie set in a world where snow is illegal due to climate change, and the protagonist is a snow smuggler. 76. A character receives a call from their future self on Christmas Eve with instructions on how to prevent a global disaster that starts tomorrow. 77. The entire town is suddenly transported to a retro, 1980s Christmas movie set, complete with terrible sweaters and synth-pop music. 78. An astronaut on a solo mission to Mars receives a mysterious transmission that seems to be a live feed of his own family's Christmas dinner. 79. A woman discovers her favorite Christmas movie is a documentary about her real-life hometown. 80. A man who wishes for a silent night is granted his wish, plunging the world into a perfectly silent, but eerie, Christmas. ### Supernatural & Magical Beings 81. A Christmas Ghost (like the ones from _A Christmas Carol_) is tired of the same old redemption story and decides to help a _bad_ person stay bad. 82. A family hires a seemingly normal man to be their holiday house-sitter, unaware that he is an angel on a final test to earn his wings by uniting their dysfunctional family. 83. A teenager finds a magical mistletoe that forces any two people standing under it to reveal their deepest, most embarrassing truths. 84. An ancient, non-Christian winter deity wakes up and is furious to discover their holiday has been co-opted by a fat man in a red suit. 85. A college student accidentally summons a Christmas Genie who only grants wishes using cheesy holiday puns. 86. A skeptical scientist must team up with a magical gingerbread man who has come to life to prevent a chain of supernatural Christmas disasters. 87. A professional curse breaker is hired to lift a decade-long Christmas curse on a small town, only to find the curse is actually just a misunderstanding. 88. The main character discovers a secret society of people who are immortal because they were born on Christmas Day. 89. A woman who can see and talk to the spirits of Christmas gifts must stop a gift from being stolen, which will cause the spirit to become a bitter phantom. 90. A man’s overly aggressive Christmas cheer is revealed to be the result of a magical holiday infestation in his house. ### The Grinch & Scrooge Archetypes 91. A Gen Z influencer famous for hating the holidays is tasked with creating the ultimate "Grinch-Tok" video, but she secretly loves Christmas. 92. A dog who is terrified of Santa must spend the holiday protecting his owner from a man in a red suit who he believes is a monster. 93. The protagonist is an Ebenezer Scrooge-style landlord who must face a series of evictions and bureaucratic nightmares on Christmas Eve. 94. A world-famous anti-Christmas activist accidentally falls in love with the owner of the world's most over-the-top Christmas store. 95. A reclusive writer only emerges once a year to write a single, scathing Christmas op-ed, but this year he has a crisis of conscience. 96. The ghost of a former Christmas movie villain is given a chance at redemption by mentoring a new, young antagonist. 97. A man realizes his job as a professional "bah humbug" service (hired to stop holiday parties) is emotionally destroying his life. 98. A self-help guru who preaches "mindful materialism" must learn the true meaning of giving when he accidentally swaps lives with a Salvation Army bell ringer. 99. A high-school student running an underground black market for gifts finds his operation threatened by a mysterious rival. 100. A character who believes Christmas is just a social construct must spend the day with a group of people who are _too_ invested in the holiday. 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'Credit: Universal Pictures ## Summing It All Up Which one of these prompts gives you that giddy, screenplay-ready feeling? Take a trope, give it a sharp turn, and remember: every great Christmas movie starts with a spark of a silly idea! And let us know what you think in the comments.

If I had to pick a favorite movie character of all time, it would be Indiana Jones. I think he's a genius creation who has been the center of some all-time good movies. Played by Harrison Ford and dreamed up by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Lawrence Kasdan, Indiana Jones pretty much shaped my childhood and helped develop my love of movies. So how can you rank the movies he's been in? How do you pick between these fun adventures that completely unlock new worlds and nefarious villains and have captured the hearts and minds of audiences from different generations? Well, I just sat down and watched all five movies, and this is what I came up with. Let's dive in. * * * ### 5. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny The most recent entry into the franchise thrives when it showcases Harrison Ford being nostalgic for adventures past and reckoning with all he's done in his entire life. There's still some charm and wit there, but it does get bogged down by the use of CGI and a plot that is so fantastical it loses some of the grounded nature that the other movies thrived on, even when things get supernatural. Time travel, for some reason, felt like a bridge too far. ### 4. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Spielberg's last venture into this character, I think, got too many headlines for the nuclear bomb and the fridge. It's got some really inventive other set pieces, and there's still that Spielberg camera magic. It's hard because this movie is framed like an epic send-off, and I think that final scene of him walking out of the church at the end and catching his hat was the way I like to imagine it happened. ### 3. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom I bet you haven't watched this movie in a while. I know I hadn't. But when I went back, I was pleasantly surprised by all the fun that's had. People remember the temple and the heart rip, but the opening sequence is magical, and I even love the trek through the jungle. If this movie came out today, people would laud it for its spectacle, even if some of the tropes inside it don't hold up as well. ### 2. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Hard not to put this one first; it has some of the best set pieces in movie history, and the banter between Indiana Jones and his Dad, played by Sean Connery, was amazing. Tom Stoppard rewrote basically all of the dialogue in the movie, and it sticks in your head the whole time. Again, Spielberg's direction is superb; he knows how to turn a laugh into action and then back into laughs. The tank chase is so imaginative and exciting. ### 1. Raiders of the Lost Ark I can't pick anything better than this movie. It's in my top ten of all time, and I think it should be considered as one of the greatest movies of all time. Every scene in this movie is perfect, from the opening sequence all the way through the final dolly in the warehouse. Watching this movie inspires me. There's so much wonder and greatness in every frame. The whole thing is like a big screenwriting lesson in terms of action and character. ### Summing It All Up I'll be honest, I didn't think this was a hard ranking to do. To me, this is clearly the order for the movies, although I am willing to hear people out who think _Last Crusade_ should be first. There's a reason these fantastic movies stand the test of time. Let me know what you think in the comments.

In the early days of digital cameras, cinema camera options were rare and prohibitively expensive. But, as we've seen over the past decade or so, the cost of entry for cinema cameras has dropped significantly. And, in fact, you can actually grab some really great and high-quality cinema cameras these days for pretty much the same price as your standard DSLR or mirrorless options. For our latest "_Deals of the Week_" roundup, we're looking at three on-sale and highly affordable cinema cameras from Sony that would be great introductions into the Sony cinema workflow. Just be warned, these sales are closing quickly, so if you're interested, you'd better get moving. * Sony FX30 Digital Cinema Camera: _$1,798_ * Sony FX2 Digital Cinema Camera: _$2,698_ * Sony FX3A Full-Frame Cinema Camera: _$3,998_ __ __You can find morefilmmaking deals here. ~~~~

Screenwriter and showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine joins the No Film School Podcast to unpack her career and creative process behind hit adaptations, including _The Boys_ and _The Housemaid_. She shares how she got her start, how she discovered her voice in genre, and the intense pitch process behind landing __The Housemaid__. Rebecca also offers practical advice for writing contained stories, building a compelling script from source material, and creating work that audiences actually want to watch. ### **In this episode, we****discuss:** * How Rebecca’s early jobs and script coverage experience helped her become a screenwriter * Why she embraced genre writing and how her perspective as a woman informs her work * The pitch process for adapting __The Housemaid__ , and how she knew it was the right fit * How she avoids voiceover and instead finds cinematic ways to externalize internal character thoughts * The importance of blocking and movement when writing contained, single-location stories * Her writing habits: page goals, scene sketching, talking out dialogue, and more * What filmmakers can learn from writing bottle episodes or adapting material * Why thinking about your audience is key to writing something people actually want to watch __ **Guests:** * Rebecca Sonnenshine ### **Subscribe to the No Film School Podcast on:** * Apple Podcasts * Spotify * Google Get your question answered on the podcast by emailing podcast@nofilmschool.com ### _Listen to more episodes of the No Film School podcast right here:_

We got a major news alert for those of you who are using or interested in using Fujifilm’s new large-format cinema camera. The GFX ETERNA 55 is getting a new firmware update (version 1.02) that is set to add external RAW recording capabilities to Atomos devices by way of HDMI and SDI inputs. The update will also offer a pretty wide range of performance improvements, menu functionality, and fix a handful of bugs and issues that have popped up in a few instances for Fujifilm’s exciting new large-format cinema camera option. Here’s everything you need to know. * * * ### Fujifilm GFX ETERNA 55 Firmware Update Being released as firmware update version 1.0, this latest update for the GFX ETERNA 55 is really highlighted by this external RAW recording function being added to Atomos devices. This new firmware enables the FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA 55 to make external RAW recording by 4:3 open gate, 4K, and up to 48fps. Plus, as Fujifilm notes in its firmware update announcement, this RAW output will now be available via SDI in addition to HDMI, which should help enable versatile use across various film production environments. There are some menu cosmetic and functionality updates that are noteworthy, as the display design of the menu screen has been changed, and the brightness of the side monitor can now become darker than the previous conditions with new setting operations. ### Full Update Details Here’s the full breakdown of everything new with firmware update version 1.02 for the GFX ETERNA 55: 1. External recorder recording function to ATOMOS devices is newly added. This new firmware enables the FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA 55 to make external RAW recording by 4:3 open gate, 4K, and up to 48fps. Additionally, RAW output is newly available via SDI in addition to HDMI, enabling versatile use across various film production environments. Please be sure to update your external recorder to the latest firmware before use. _please see here._ 2. The display design of the menu screen is changed. 3. The brightness of the side monitor becomes darker than the previous condition if the [-5] is selected for the brightness of the [Side monitor] through the following operation. [SET UP] ➔ [LCD SETTING] ➔ [LCD BRIGHTNESS] 4. Look & feel of the [TIME CODE] display shown on the [Side monitor] is improved. 5. Response times becomes shorter when operating the following settings. Operation Settings:[FPS], [ISO], [SHUTTER], [ND], [WB], [PROJECT FPS], [RESOLUTION] and [IMAGE FORMAT] 6. The default (starting) value for [Clip No.] is changed from 0000 to 0001. 7. The default value for [SHARPNESS] is changed from 4 to 0. Note: Be aware that you need to initialize the camera to make the above change take effect. The following firmware bugs are fixed. (1)The recording does not start while AF is locked with touch AF through the following operation flow. [FOCUS] ➔ [TOUCH SCREEN MODE] ➔ [AF] (2)Selecting [RESET ALL EXCEPT NETWORK SETTINGS] does not reset the [TIME CODE] through the following operation flow. [TIME CODE] ➔ [COUNT UP SETTING] ➔ [FREE RUN] (3)The aperture value cannot be changed when selecting [IRIS] in the [RECORDING] menu under the following setting conditions. ・Use GF lenses with an aperture ring other than the GF32-90mm T3.5 PZ OIS WR. ・Set the aperture ring position to C. ・Select [T NUMBER] of the [IRIS DISP] in the [RECORDING] menu. (4)The [CUSTOM ASPECT] is not displayed at the correct aspect ratio. (5)Synchronization failure of the [TIME CODE] (6) The side monitor display occasionally remains in REC mode even after stopping REC. (7) The outside side monitor turns off occasionally when starting and stopping REC repeatedly. (8) The outside indicator lamp remains lit or remains off occasionally when starting and stopping REC repeatedly. (9) The default setting for the mount adapter should be [OFF], but it is set to [Lens 1].(10) Loading more than 13 LUT files may cause unstable operation.(11)Other minor bugs. ### Firmware Update Steps And here are the firmware update steps as outlined by _Fujifilm on the company’s website here_. 1. Check the firmware version. 2. Prepare a formatted memory card. 3. Download the firmware and copy it to the card. 4. Put the memory card with the firmware in the camera and update it. ### FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA 55 Cinema Camera **FUJIFILM** brings its vaunted photographic history to a video-centric form with the **GFX ETERNA 55 Cinema Camera**.

In what we can only assume is a nod to Marc Maron’s famous line from _Almost Famous_ , the LUMIX USA team at Panasonic recently hosted a live video on YouTube that encourages its customers not to lock themselves into regular video recording. Open Gate video recording has been a hot topic this year, as many camera manufacturers have found new ways to integrate this recording functionality into not just their high-end cinema cameras, but also their mirrorless offerings, which are catching up to their cinema counterparts. It’s honestly been a lot to keep up with, so if you’re looking for a brand-specific guide to Open Gate video recording for your favorite LUMIX cameras, check out this helpful guide below. * * * ### LUMIX Open Gate Video Recording Hosted by _LUMIX USA_ on YouTube Live, this live video recording goes over a ton of information about Open Gate video recording with a handful of Panasonic LUMIX cameras. As a live video, we get some nice insights into how to actually pick and toggle the ideal settings for your Open Gate workflows depending on the type of content that you’re looking to record and create. Be careful, though, as this video is well over an hour long and off-the-cuff at times. If you’d like to learn by osmosis—or wait for the likely scenario that any specific question you might have will be answered—then it’s highly worth the time investment to watch through to the end. The LUMIX team also shared some links for a few top mirrorless cameras manuals that should further provide more info about Open Gate and other video recording features and workflows, which you can check out below. S1II Series User manuals : * S1RII * S1II __ * S1IIE

We're diving deep into the psychology of fear and filmmaking with Nitasha Bhambree and Declan Mulvey, the talented directors behind the compelling thriller short film, _Dual_. This project has not only been selected to screen at the prestigious FilmQuest this year but has also earned nominations for Best Sci-Fi and Best VFX—a testament to its complex narrative and impressive technical execution. Today, Nitasha and Declan pull back the curtain on their creative process, discussing everything from the script's pragmatic origins to the challenging visual effects that helped amplify their characters’ crisis. Let's dive in. 'Dual' Credit: Nitasha Bhambree and Declan Mulvey * * * **No Film School: What sparked the idea for a thriller such as** _**_Dual?_**_**Was there a specific story, myth, or psychological concept that inspired** _**_Dual_**_**?** **Nitasha Bhambree and Declan Mulvey** : We began writing __Dual__ from a pragmatic place. We knew we wanted to shoot in one location with a minimal cast. We decided on a remote home with two cast members -- a husband and wife. The wife would be faced with the dilemma of an impostor husband coming home to her one day. It’s an uncanny situation that points to an inevitable physical conflict, which, coming from an action background as stunt coordinators and 2nd unit directors, we also knew we wanted in the film. We kept elaborating on this central idea with “what-if” scenarios until a greater plot began to reveal itself. What’s funny is that it wasn’t until we were in post that we realized just how much of our own personal anxieties about starting a family and establishing a home we had baked into this script. **NFS: What does the "familiar threat" represent in the context of identity, relationships, or survival?**** ** **NB/DM** : Our identity, relationships, and survival are all going to be determined in one way or another by what we as individuals cling to. And the beauty of Aristotelian stories that share a singular action, time, and place like __Dual__ , is that ultimately the characters are going to be led on an inward journey. They will run out of new places and plot points, and eventually they will have to confront what is within themselves -- the “familiar threat.” **NFS: Thrillers often rely on building suspense through atmosphere. How did you use setting, sound, and cinematography to create a sense of unease?**** ** **NB/DM** : We shot at an idyllic cabin in the woods in upstate New York. It’s a beautiful, picturesque landscape. So we had to recontextualize it by looking at it through the eyes of our characters, Keira (played by Kiera O’Connor) and Sam (played by Robbie Dema). As our film begins, they are uneasy. All is not right with the world. So even though this is their weekend sanctuary and is normally a peaceful retreat, due to the circumstances, they approach with caution. We created a rich soundscape in the woods with chirping birds and rustling trees so that it could be punctuated with gunshots and screams. We worked with our cinematographer, John Fitzpatrick, and camera operator John Conquy to create long, uninterrupted Steadicam shots that put the viewer right alongside the characters as they move cautiously through the woods. We used these traditional filmmaking tools to heighten the natural beauty of the setting but also upend it as the uncanny events of the film take hold. **NFS: How did you approach pacing in** _**_Dual_**_**, especially given the psychological complexity of the film?** **NB/DM** : Throughout the film, the pacing matches the characters’ continued experience of being nearly exhausted by monotony, then immediately thrust into jarring violence. We establish one pace with the aforementioned long shots on Steadicam as our characters walk through the woods. Then, when they arrive at their cabin, we have a more pressing montage of the characters: locking their doors, drawing the shades, and stocking ammunition. We return to another long shot of them quietly eating dinner while listening to news reports of chaos in the city that they retreated from. Moments later, they are in a life and death fight that is cut fast and hard to accentuate the characters’ experience of the action. From scene to scene, we were very deliberate with our editing, only cutting when it served the pacing and staying true to the characters’ sense of time. 'Dual' Credit: Nitasha Bhambree and Declan Mulvey **NFS: What were some of the visual or narrative cues you used to subtly signal duality or disorientation to the viewer?** **NB/DM** : There is an obstacle in the characters’ path early in the film that diverts their course. Upon a second viewing, the viewer might recognize this obstacle as something we have already seen in the film. When our protagonist, Keira, is trying to determine who her real husband is, she is in the throes of a dilemma throughout the scene. The handheld camera work features her at the center with dirty pieces of either Sam in the foreground and background, placing the audience in her overwhelmed and disoriented point of view. It’s very subtle but intentionally drives the audience to have the realization of who the real Sam is at the same time as Keira, as we rack focus to him and bring them together in a two-shot. There is a golden oldies love song by Tristan Watering of Almost Vinyl that plays on an old radio in a dream sequence, then later at the darkest point of the film, another golden oldies love song plays as Keira and Sam see their whole world burn to the ground before them. We liked the idea of these love songs underscoring two tonally opposing scenes. The list goes on, but if we say any more, we’ll give too much away! But we will add that we used visual effects to help amplify their crisis, and there are some fun gags we think the audience will enjoy. **NFS: Was there a particular scene or sequence that was especially challenging, or rewarding, to bring to life?** **NB/DM** : Most of the visual effects shots were challenging. Anyone who has done this type of work knows it multiplies your shot list by about 4x. You need to shoot each character or element separately, as well as a plate. And each of these shots might have its own lighting and green screen requirements. We didn’t have a motion control camera either, which is how a fully funded film would approach these sequences. We did it raw. It took a lot of effort on the part of our camera and G&E team, as well as our cast, stunt doubles, and, of course, our outstanding VFX artists led by Anika Morris, Stephen Izzi, and Aaron Joshua. We are incredibly happy with how it all turned out. And now we have a much better understanding of what can be accomplished with VFX and how best to approach it, which will be very useful for our upcoming feature. **NFS: Can you tease any hidden layers, visual motifs, or clues that viewers might miss on a first watch?** **NB/DM** : __Dual__ is loaded with clues and call-backs, but aside from the ones we already mentioned, we don’t want to give away any more spoilers. One of the things we are most proud of is that it is very rewatchable. It’s 21 minutes but moves quickly and packs a punch in terms of stunts and visual effects. Each new reveal during your first viewing may prompt you to watch it again just to see how everything ties together.

Ryan Coogler just seems like the kind of filmmaker you want to hang out with, not at an awards show or some sort of gala, but like in real life. Maybe you get a beer at a bar or walk around a museum together, He's full of this creative energy that makes it fun to watch him describe the perforations on 70MM film and to read about him in this excellent New York Times profile on the director. Coogler was already one of the biggest and most well-known filmmakers in the world, but _Sinners_ set him on a different trajectory, from someone who was innately good at finding the personal stories in studio IP to someone who also had a lot to say in worlds he created himself. There are a ton of great quotes in that New York Times piece, so I wanted to isolate a few and share them with you. Let's dive in. * * * ## Ryan Coogler Can Accomplish Anything in Hollywood One of the things I most admire about Coogler is that he is just so thoughtful about all his work and what he chooses to spend his time doing. His approach to his work and his life is evident in his words, showing how he manages to stay grounded even while his movies are such giant hits. Coogler says, "You get used to compartmentalizing. ... I can’t engage with it as the kid whose dreams were to come to Hollywood and make movies. I have to engage with it as a professional shepherd of the story.” When it comes to being a filmmaker in general, Coogler takes it very seriously and treats it like a real job. One of the things I love is that while the stars get a ton of glitz and glamor, the art of actually making movies is done mostly by normal people. That's something I think about all the time, so it's easy and fun to see it reflected here, too. He said, “People see the tuxedo, they see the red carpet, but it’s real blue-collar folks making these movies happen. ... Most days, I’m wearing coveralls and Columbia gear, trying to find solutions that aggregate up to a story. And that enabled me not to engage with any narratives around what it is that we do.” I think staying grounded, like this, is incredibly important. No matter how much success you get, you need to show up and keep working. In Coogler's life, that ability to stay focused and on task led him to _Sinners_ , which many think is his best movie yet. It took real effort to get there. Coogler tells the story, “We would talk about how this movie had to be the sexiest movie any of us had ever made because it was carnal." That carnality took Coogler to a place he hadn't been in a long time. A place that opened him up as a director and as a storyteller. He expanded, "I did feel more vulnerable. I ended up talking to actors about things you don’t normally share on other movies and getting to a place where they understand, ‘Oh, my director experienced a loss that maybe he still is not at peace with yet.’” That new openness as a director is what makes me so excited to see where Coogler takes all of this, even if his next movie is _Black Panther 3_. He puts so much of himself on the screen. And he's able to tap into a universal resonance that brings audiences in as well. Coogler explains, “There’s got to be something deep down within us that understands. My mission every time I pick up a camera is to know that the only reason I have this job is because we’re basically all the same in different circumstances.” ## Summing It All Up It's clear that even as he rises to the industry's highest ranks, Ryan Coogler remains dedicated to telling personal stories and treating his work as a craft, not a celebrity exercise. He's tapping into his potential now, and he's excited to hear about potential ideas and where all this talent will take him. Head over to The New York Times for the rest of the interview. Let me know what you think in the comments.

We know, it’s a lot to keep up with these days. From the huge barrage of AI apps, tools, and features hitting the market and changing the industry as we know it, the previous new technologies that shifted landscapes aren’t as big a deal anymore. Or, at least it feels that way. For those who might feel lost in the revolution, let’s take a moment to look at some of the newest features and tools that have been added recently to Frame.io. The popular cloud-based video collaboration platform, integrated into the Adobe ecosystem, has several new tools for those in the video editing space. * * * ### An Upgraded Frame.io Panel in Premiere The biggest news shipped by Frame.io in the past few months might simply be the Frame.io panel in Premiere, which has now officially left beta and is fully available in Premiere Pro 25.6. Retailored and retooled from the ground up, this panel has been designed to help keep editors in their timelines and in the zone. Users can browse and manage projects, files, and folders in their Frame.io library, import media into their project bins (including full folder structures), share sequences for feedback, and review comments that sync back as markers on their Premiere timeline. Also, of note, the Frame.io panel now offers defaults to a Sequences view to help make it faster to export cuts. Batch imports also now let users choose originals, high-res proxies, or low-res proxies, so things are speeding up all over. You can find out more about the _Frame.io panel in Premiere here_. ### New Search with Media Intelligence Similar to the update that has been rolled out in Premiere and other Adobe apps, Frame.io has gotten a completely new search tool that is powered by media intelligence. This new search tool allows users to find both your media and the information around that media—like metadata, keywords, and filenames—without wrestling with your folder structure. Users can also now type queries the way they talk to a teammate to find results. For example, instead of remembering exact filenames, users can search for “Sunset clips of happy people, status is approved.” Frame.io will then use natural language processing to map the request to relevant assets across clips, images, audio, and documents, drawing on metadata and other indexed fields to surface strong matches. You can check out more about this _media intelligence search on Frame.io’s website here_. ### Frame.io Content Credentials Another new feature that is shared across other Adobe apps and products, Content Credentials, has made its way to Frame.io as well, offering an easy way to view and verify the origin of media—including whether it was created with AI. Users can upload assets from any source, and Frame.io automatically reads and preserves their credentials. You can find out a lot more about _Content Credentials here_.

Fine, you got us! ARRI has released a new test footage demo reel type video featuring video shot by talented DP Bret Curry that showcases just how beautiful the Ensō Prime lenses look on the ALEXA 35 Xtreme. Shot to capture the rugged beauty of Montana for a new Stetson and Lindsey Thornburg campaign, this test footage is an awesome showcase of the natural colors and looks that this ARRI camera and lens combo is capable of achieving out in the field. We even get a peek behind-the-scenes into how Curry and his small crew were able to capture these sick-looking shots, as well as some insights into how the grade was finished with the new ARRI Film Lab, _which we recently covered here_. * * * ### ARRI Ensō Prime Lenses on the ALEXA 35 Xtreme While this is just test footage that shows off a handful of shots, it’s honestly more than enough to showcase the raw beauty that this combo of ARRI Ensō Prime lenses is able to capture with the ALEXA 35 Xtreme cinema camera. These Ensō Prime lenses have proven to be small, lightweight, and versatile lenses that can provide exceptional images in almost any conditions. They have a beautifully smooth and balanced native look that can be tuned with Ensō Vintage Elements, which attach to the back of the lenses, helping to allow DPs to access different looks with a single, cost-efficient lens. The ALEXA 35 Xtreme is having a nice moment here as the trusted workhorse version of the ALEXA 35. Built on its predecessor’s solid foundation, the ALEXA 35 Xtreme version features some powerful hardware and higher speeds that help it really shine with its slow-motion images and its efficient ARRICORE codec. ### More ARRI Inspiration and Resources If you’re curious about the gear behind these awesome images, ARRI has lots of resources covering the Ensō Prime lenses and the ALEXA 35 Xtreme, both on the company’s YouTube page and other channels. Here are some additional videos covering everything you need to know about these lenses and the camera. ### ###

In news that is breaking like a tsunami all over Hollywood, The Walt Disney Company today announced a massive, multi-part deal with OpenAI, maker of the viral text-to-video generator, Sora. So now the biggest IP owner on the planet is putting $1 billion up to allow AI to use all their intellectual property. They have formally licensed over 200 beloved Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars characters to the Sora platform. Starting in early 2026, fans will be able to generate short, user-prompted videos and images featuring everything from Mickey Mouse to Captain America using Sora and ChatGPT Images. This also basically eliminated any copyright lawsuits Disney had against Sora and OpenAI as well, since now they're okay with them playing with their characters. What kind of precedents does this set for all of Hollywood? Is this the new frontier for IP monetization, copyright, and the future of production? Let's dive in. 'Lion King' Credit: Disney * * * ## The Breakdown: $1 Billion and 200 Characters The facts of the deal are simple. Disney is making a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI and becoming a major customer, integrating OpenAI's APIs across its business (including Disney+ and internal employee tools). As I said at the top, it puts any copyright lawsuit on hold. Disney's agreement provides a controlled, licensed framework for people to use their IP within AI. Who can you play with in Sora? The deal covers animated, masked, and creature characters, along with their costumes, vehicles, and iconic environments. That means Darth Vader, Iron Man (in the suit), and Baymax as well. The one thing you can't do is mimic talent likenesses and voices. You can generate a video of Black Panther, but you won't get Chadwick Boseman's face or voice. This is a clear nod to the protections fought for in the recent WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. This is the biggest takeaway for me in the deal: A curated selection of the short, user-generated Sora videos will even be made available for streaming on Disney+. The Mouse House is now officially in the UGC (User Generated Content) game. That means you could sit on the platform and create software that Disney then monetizes. Will you get a kickback? Will the creators of the characters? ## What Does Iger Think of the Deal? Disney CEO Bob Iger said of this new deal with Sora and OpenAI, “Technological innovation has continually shaped the evolution of entertainment, bringing with it new ways to create and share great stories with the world. The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence marks an important moment for our industry, and through this collaboration with OpenAI, we will thoughtfully and responsibly extend the reach of our storytelling through generative AI, while respecting and protecting creators and their works. Iger continued, “Bringing together Disney’s iconic stories and characters with OpenAI’s groundbreaking technology puts imagination and creativity directly into the hands of Disney fans in ways we’ve never seen before, giving them richer and more personal ways to connect with the Disney characters and stories they love.” Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, added: “This agreement shows how AI companies and creative leaders can work together responsibly to promote innovation that benefits society, respect the importance of creativity, and help works reach vast new audiences.” 'Frozen' CREDIT: Disney ### The Filmmaker’s Existential Crisis When Sora first dropped, the debate was twofold. We wanted to make sure our own work was protected from being stolen, but there was a tiny voice, I think, inside many people's heads talking about, "_Can I finally make an entire short film with just a laptop and a text prompt?"_ Now, theoretically, you can? Maybe with a lot more limitations, but I do wonder if there's a way to show Disney your worth as a filmmaker by creating stuff that they can later market. Then, you're basically doing free research for them, and if they choose your video, there's no clear way to get compensated for it. Basically, there's a big sandbox, and they own all the toys in it. You're allowed to play. But they retain the rights. Alongside this stuff, the $1 billion investment isn't just for software; it's a huge bet that controlled, licensed AI is the key to maintaining IP supremacy in the age of generative content. It's only a matter of time before every other studio follows suit. Disney set the precedent; now we wait and see who follows and when. ## Summing It All Up It feels like the big people in Hollywood went from promising to fight AI proliferation to now making deals with them nd quickly embracing their software and future. It's a little disheartening, but I am trying to look for the bright spots in all of this stuff. Maybe playing in that IP sandbox will be fun and lead to new things. Let me know what you think in the comments.

We’ve got kind of a good-news-slash-bad-news update to share with you. The Sony a1 is getting a pretty substantive firmware update (version 4.00) that is set to add expanded focus controls, video workflow improvements, and Camera Authenticity Solution support to help keep your content safe. Yet, despite the awesomeness of this update, we also have to caution that it might be a good idea to wait at least a few days before you download this update. This comes on the heels of Sony releasing a firmware update for the a7 IV camera a few weeks ago, only to immediately suspend the update a few days later due to operability issues. Here’s what you need to know. * * * ### Sony a1 Firmware Update Version 4.00 Let’s start with the good news here first, which is that your Sony a1 mirrorless camera is going to—eventually—get some awesome new features. While the Sony a1 II has become the new flagship of the Sony Alpha lineup, the a1 remains a solid mirrorless camera option that should get a nice boost to its 8K video recording, speed, and sensitivity. The firmware update version 4.00 is set to add a pretty significant amount of new features, functions, and improvements (full list at the end of the article). The highlights will include expanded autofocus options, Camera Authenticity Solution support, and some general video workflow improvements that should give the camera a nice boost. ### Update With Caution Honestly, this should be good advice for anyone updating any camera or product these days, but we do have to remind everyone that just because a new firmware update is out and available, you don’t have to download and install it right away. It’s confusing, as, in general, you do want to be using the latest tech and software for your devices to help them run the most smoothly and efficiently. However, as we saw the other week when Sony released a _firmware update_offering improved video and autofocus controls for the Sony a7 IV and a7R V, the company had to quickly backpedal and _suspend the firmware update for the a7 IV_ due to operability issues. ### The Full Sony a1 Firmware Update 4.00 As mentioned above, here’s the full list of everything new coming to the Sony a1 with this latest update, which you can find out more about on the _company’s website here_. * Adapts the display layout of shooting information for both horizontal and vertical viewing * Adds the Spot: XL and Spot: XS options to the Spot section of the Focus Area menu * Adds the Custom 1, Custom 2, and Custom 3 options to the Custom section of the Focus Area menu * Adds the Tracking: Spot XL, Tracking: Spot XS, Tracking: Custom 1, Tracking: Custom 2, and Tracking: Custom 3 options to the Tracking section of the Focus Area menu * Allows simultaneous deletion and rating of images stored on both memory card slot 1 and slot 2 * Allows the display of folder and file names during playback * Allows you to cancel the scheduled transfer of selected images during FTP transfer * Adds support for the following Transfer & Tagging settings: * A setting to automatically schedule FTP transfer of protected still images from FTP Import * A setting to automatically schedule FTP transfer of protected still images and videos from FTP Upload Preset * A setting to automatically protect still images transferred via FTP from FTP Upload Preset * The latest version of the Transfer & Tagging app is necessary. * The Transfer & Tagging setting may not be available in some countries or regions. * Supports the following Monitor & Control app functions: * Focus map display * IRIS operation bar display * The latest version of the Monitor & Control app is necessary. * The Monitor & Control app may not be available in some countries or regions. * Supports the Write Digital Signature function for movies as part of Sony’s Camera Authenticity Solution * The timing for the provision of licenses (paid) to customers other than certain media outlets is yet to be determined. * Services may not be available in some countries or regions. For more information, please visit the _Authenticity Catalog Page_. * Supports Scan and Tag, Photo Cropping, and Volume Photography Commands under the Volume Photography License * Installation of a paid license is required for use. * Services may not be available in some countries or regions. * No longer supports the Security (IPsec) functionality. Please enable and use Access Authen. for enhanced protection and security * No longer supports WPA and WEP functionalities. You will no longer be able to select WPA or WEP when connecting to Wi-Fi. Please use the more secure WPA2 or WPA3 security setting moving forward * Fixes an issue where continuous shooting may not resume for 1 to 2 seconds after the end of a continuous shooting session * Fixes an issue where the multi-selector on the vertical grip may not function correctly * Improves the operational stability of the camera Note: Please refer to the _Help Guide_ for details on all updated functions.

One thing I love about the screenwriting community is that it feels like every year they get together to read and examine the best scripts of the year. They do this by assembling the FYC, or for your consideration, marking materials that studios put out as part of their Oscar campaigns. This year, on Reddit, user SC34N3 has helped compile a ton of scripts for aspiring creatives to read, download, and learn from. Here are a few of the FYC scripts available; more to come later! As always, this is for educational purposes only. I'll try to update this list as more are added. You can access them in this Google Drive. * * * ### Film Projects by Studio * **20th Century Studios (TWDS)** * _Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere_ (Scott Cooper) * **A24** * _Pillion_ (Harry Lighton) * _If I Had Legs I'd Kick You_ (Mary Bronstein) * _The Smashing Machine_ (Benny Safdie) * _Eddington_ (Ari Aster) * _Friendship_ (Andrew DeYoung) * _Materialists_ (Celine Song) * _Sorry, Baby_ (Eva Victor) * _Warfare_ (Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland) * _Warfare [Revisions/Appendix]_ * **Amazon/MGM** * _Belén_ (Laura Paredes & Dolores Fonzi) * _After the Hunt_ (Nora Garrett) * _Hedda_ (Nia DaCosta) Let me know your favorite script in the comments.

_This post was written by Richard Harrington and originally appeared on theAdobe blog on October 20, 2025._ What about gathering real-time feedback and input from clients or team members for smoother collaboration? With Camera to Cloud (C2C) from Frame.io, it’s easier than ever to get seamless workflows from capture through delivery. __ Whether you’re shooting photo or video, C2C allows you to instantly upload media from your camera to Frame.io and easily connect withAdobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, and Adobe Lightroom. C2C integrations are continuing to roll out, with choices from **Fujifilm** , **Panasonic LUMIX** , **RED** , **Nikon** , **Canon** , and **Leica,** meaning that regardless of style or industry, any professional now has a streamlined way to partner, collaborate, and accelerate production. __ ## Welcome to the Next Era of Production __ Frame.io Camera to Cloud cameras are ushering in a new era of production workflows: photographers and videographers can make selections in Frame.io and instantly push their best shots to a number of apps, including Lightroom. Editors can then access and retouch images in real-time from any location, before uploading them back into Frame.io for delivery or distribution — no cables to carry, no memory cards to lose, no more wasted time to get media transferred. __ Faster turnaround means better work, easier collaboration, happier clients, and more time for creativity. With C2C, users can send smaller proxy files directly to off-site team members like art directors or editors for easy real-time feedback, make immediate adjustments on set or in the field, and then begin sharing production files as they go. Files can be transmitted automatically, individually sent, or prioritized for C2C upload directly on the camera. At the press of the shutter or the end of the take, files automatically upload to Frame.io directly from the camera and are ready for use. Post-production can start seconds after a shot, saving countless hours and resources in costly reshoots, misses, and mistakes. ## A Timeless Camera, Ahead of Its Time __ As the very first brand to add still photography support for Frame.io Cloud to Camera, Fujifilm is always ahead of the curve. The same is true for the new**Fujifilm GFX Eterna 55.** Inspired by Fujifilm’s legendary ETERNA film stock, the GFX Eterna 55 is a bold step forward for creators searching for a cinematic look in a large-format sensor. It offers a distinctive cinematic color science and tonal range, allowing filmmakers to create images with a truly timeless feel. And because C2C is directly integrated into the GFX Eterna 55, visual creators can deliver extraordinary shots in a fraction of the time. __ - YouTube www.youtube.com ## Connect to Adobe Lightroom, Premiere Pro, and More Frame.io Camera to Cloud is the fastest, easiest, and most secure way for visual creators to transfer and collaborate on footage and photos from cameras automatically. Adobe has made collaboration even easier with C2C integrations to Premiere Pro, Lightroom, After Effects, along with many other third-party tools. With the release of the improved Frame.io Version 4, creators can work more seamlessly with more intuitive controls, easier organization and management, and superior playback. _**Explore the benefits ofFrame.io version 4.**_ ## Keep Learning Want to explore the Camera to Cloud workflow in-depth? Watch the on-demand version of this session from Adobe MAX. Discover the power of the revolutionary Camera to Cloud integration with Frame.io and Fujifilm. Watch as photographers and designers collaborate in real-time, uploading photos and videos directly to the cloud for seamless editing and feedback. See how this workflow could elevate your own storytelling, making teamwork faster and more efficient than ever! _**Seehow to use Camera to Cloud with Fujifilm cameras.**_ _This is a sponsored post by Fujifilm._

There are only so many times and ways in which we can basically say the same following statement: AI is changing the landscape of our industry as we know it. Today, Adobe has shared the news that the company is launching Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Express, and Adobe Acrobat for ChatGPT. Aiming to build on the company's genetic AI, this new ChatGPT integration should enable users to more easily enhance photos, design assets, and create and edit documents by simply describing what they want to achieve with their words. As opposed to, you know, doing it themselves in the apps. Let’s explore what’s going on. * * * ### Adobe Brings ChatGPT Into the Fold So far it sounds like the only apps getting this ChatGPT feature are the ones mentioned above, but it’s hard to imagine that Premiere, After Effects, Audition, and others might get similar tools in the future. > “We’re thrilled to bring Photoshop, Adobe Express and Acrobat directly into ChatGPT, combining our creative innovations with the ease of ChatGPT to make creativity accessible for everyone. Now hundreds of millions of people can edit with Photoshop simply by using their own words, right inside a platform that’s already part of their day-to-day.” — David Wadhwani, president, digital media, Adobe. What’s notable about this news, though, is simply that it’s combining two of some of the biggest players in the AI and creation spaces. The goal, for Adobe at least, is to expand upon the company’s _conversational experiences_ powered by its agentic AI and Model Context Protocol (MCP). ### How it Works Overall, this new tool sounds quite simple to use, believe it or not, as it will allow users to have a simple conversation with the ChatGPT interface to make it easy for everyone to edit photos, enhance designs, and transform documents without leaving ChatGPT. Accessing Adobe’s apps in ChatGPT will be as simple as typing the name of the app followed by an instruction. Adobe shares an example where, to blur the background of an image with Photoshop, users can type: “Adobe Photoshop, help me blur the background of this image.” ChatGPT will then automatically surface the app and use contextual understanding to guide the user through the action. You can check out a more in-depth explanation on _Adobe’s website here_. And here are some more examples of how Adobe apps for ChatGPT can be used: * Easily edit and uplevel images with Adobe Photoshop: Adjust a specific part of an image, fine-tune image settings like brightness, contrast, and exposure, and apply creative effects like Glitch and Glow — all while preserving the quality of the image. * Create and personalize designs with Adobe Express: Browse Adobe Express’ extensive library of professional designs to find the best one for any moment, fill in the text, replace images, animate designs, and iterate on edits — all directly inside the chat and without needing to switch to another app — to create standout content for any occasion. * Transform and organize documents with Adobe Acrobat: Edit PDFs directly in the chat, extract text or tables, organize and merge multiple files, compress files, and convert them to PDF while keeping formatting and quality intact. Acrobat for ChatGPT also enables people to easily redact sensitive details. ### Price and Availability Here at launch, Adobe is making Photoshop, Adobe Express, and Acrobat for ChatGPT are free to ChatGPT users globally and available starting today, December 10th, on ChatGPT desktop, web, and iOS. Adobe Express for ChatGPT is also available on Android, while Adobe promises support for Photoshop and Acrobat for ChatGPT on Android coming soon.

As far as lighting for film and video goes, there’s probably a lot more science at work than you’d ever imagine. Sure, for many in the industry, it might feel like a plug-and-play process, but if it is for you, it’s because there’s been a huge amount of work behind the scenes developing the technology that lights your subjects for your shots. Taking a look specifically at the Nanlux Nebula C8 Color Light Engine, the industry’s first eight-color LED light engine, this cool breakdown video showcases how the light engine is able to reproduce skin tones by integrating deep red into the spectrum. It’s certainly fascinating and worth watching, so check it out below. * * * ### Nebula C8 Color Light Engine As you can see in the video above, we get some surface-level, but still very interesting insights into the science behind the Nebula C8 Color Light Engine. Developed by Nanlux, the secret sauce (so to speak) is the integration of deep red into the spectrum. This helps the Nebula C8 Color Light Engine achieve more continuous and complete coverage in the wavelength range of red, which further helps to bring out healthy skin tones that can really sparkle with a natural vibrancy that other color light engines just might not be able to achieve. There’s a lot more to explore here, and if you’re curious to learn more about Nanlux’s different lighting products (several of which make use of the Nebula C8 Color Light Engine), you can check out some more advanced tutorials for different lights on the company’s _YouTube page here_.

Well, this is certainly an upgrade worth exploring. If you’re a current (or perhaps future) _Sony ZV-E10 II_ owner, then you might want to check this out. Sony has announced that the company is releasing a new update license that is set to add in-body 4K video capture at up to 120fps. A pretty significant improvement for the vlogging-focused mirrorless camera that is, by the way, currently on sale for under $1,000. Let’s check out this update news and explore what it means for this camera as an option for your video and content work. * * * ### Sony ZV-E10 II Update License In what is somewhat of a unique move, Sony isn’t just rolling out a standard firmware update here. The company is actually issuing an updated license that requires a free license key from Sony’s upgrade website. There’s also a quick caveat that we need to include that this 4K/120p video recording will be captured with approximately a 38% image crop—so keep that in mind when judging how great this improvement might be for you. Still, it’s a significant improvement for the camera’s video recording capabilities. The update will also add even greater slow-motion flexibility as well and the XAVC S format will allow for recording at 240 fps (24p recording), too. This will enable shooters to now get up to 10x slow motion in Full HD. Ideal for capturing dynamic sports, artistic motion, and action scenes from fresh, dramatic perspectives. ### How to Download and Install As mentioned above, this updated license requires the downloading and installation of a free license key from Sony’s camera upgrade website. Here are the steps to follow with links to check out: 1. Requires downloading and installing a free license key from Sony’s camera upgrade website. Availability varies by country or region. (QFHD (3840 × 2160) recording is captured with approximately 38% image crop.) _Details here_. 2. Requires post-production editing and S&Q mode recording. 3. Requires downloading and installing a free license key from Sony’s camera upgrade website. Availability varies by country or region. (Effective sensor readout is approximately 1396 × 788 pixels.) _Details here_. ### The Sony ZV-E10 II If you’re curious about the Sony ZV-E10 II as a filmmaking and content creation option, here are the full specs and links to purchase the camera with this new update and a discounted price below. * 26MP APS-C Exmor R CMOS Sensor * UHD 4K60p and Full HD 120p Video * 3.0" Touchscreen LCD, Vertical Support * 759-Point Fast Hybrid Phase Detection * Up to 11-fps Shooting, ISO 100-32000 * Real-Time Eye AF and Tracking * Background Defocus, Product Showcase * Focus Breathing Compensation * Directional 3-Capsule Mic and Windscreen * Headphone and Microphone Ports ### Sony ZV-E10 II Mirrorless Camera With improved features that expand upon its content-creation-focused predecessor, the Sony ZV-E10 II is outfitted with a 26MP APS-C sensor for faster performance and high-quality imagery in a compact form factor designed for vloggers.

Steven Spielberg is arguably the greatest director of all time and has given us some of the best movies of all time. He's also solidified the look of Hollywood with images that travel the world, like the silhouette of a flying bicycle, to the terrifying sight of a shark fin cutting through the water, and a girl in a red coat walking through the Jewish ghetto. But Spielberg's biggest regret is something he wishes he hadn't shown the audience. The director has openly discussed one creative decision he was forced to make that he later called a mistake: showing the interior of the alien mothership in the 1980 Special Edition of _Close Encounters of the Third Kind_. The story of this scene is a crucial lesson for every filmmaker who faces pressure to compromise on their vision. Let's dive into it below. - YouTubewww.youtube.com * * * ## The Reveal Of the Unknown In the original 1977 theatrical cut of _Close Encounters of the Third Kind_ , the film ends perfectly, bathed in the wonder of the mother ship's arrival. When Richard Dreyfuss's character, Roy Neary, walks up the ramp to join the aliens, the camera holds on the glowing light, and then the ship departs. The mystery is preserved. However, when Spielberg went back to Columbia Pictures a couple of years later, he wanted some additional funds to finish scenes he had rushed. The studio was all for helping him...but had one condition: they wanted a shot revealing the inside of the alien ship to use for marketing. As Spielberg told Far Out Magazine, “I was trying to get Columbia to let me finish the movie the way I wanted it to be finished, but they were having big financial problems in 1977, and they needed the film to come out during Christmas,” Spielberg said in the 1997 documentary _The Making of Close Encounters of the Third Kind_. He continued, “I was hoping to come out the following summer because I couldn’t make Christmas. But they kept insisting, ‘Not only must you make Christmas, because our whole company is at stake and we’re all counting on this film. You have to make November.’ So I had no choice.” “After the film’s success, I went back to Columbia a year and a half later and said, ‘Now let me finish the film the way I had always intended to. I wanna recut certain scenes, and I want to shoot more sequences.’ And then they said to me, ‘We’ll give you the money… if you show the inside of the mothership. Give us something we can hang a campaign on.’ And so I compromised and had Richard Dreyfuss walking inside the mothership.” - YouTubewww.youtube.com ## The Big Regret This compromise haunted Spielberg. He stated: "I never should have done that, because that should have always been kept a mystery, the inside of that ship." Lucky for Spielberg, the saga doesn't end there, because he went back to _Close Encounters_ in 1998 with a Director’s Cut of the film, and took out the interior scene of the mothership. The mothership scene isn't the only time Spielberg has regretted digitally altering his work. In 2002, for the 20th Anniversary edition of _E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial_ , he famously replaced the guns carried by federal agents with walkie-talkies to make the scene more family-friendly for a new generation. He later expressed deep regret for this, too, arguing that a film is a "signpost of where we were when we made them" and that he should "never have messed with the archive of my own work." ## Summing It All Up Meddling with your work is hard. It feels like there's always something you want to add, but in the end, sometimes your art is better declared finished. Sometimes you need to trust your gut and push back, even when it comes to getting finds. Restraint is a superpower. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Teased the _other week_, Nikon and RED have now officially announced the release of the new _“Nikon | RED” Imaging Recipes_, a grouping of cinematically-minded recipes which have been expertly curated by RED. Another nice update that is coming from _Nikon’s acquisition of RED back in 2024_, these new imaging recipes are a combination of the strengths of RED and Nikon technologies, as the brands are aiming to create some truly unique looks that can help deliver richer, more compelling visual expression for your video and photo projects. Along with the Nikon | RED recipes, the teams are releasing some additional recipes that should further help those looking for some innovative looks to consider using for their projects. Let’s check them out below. * * * ### Nikon | RED Imaging Recipes Designed to be tailored specifically for Nikon cameras like the Nikon Z6III, Z5II, Z50II, Zf, and, of course, the new ZR cinema camera (_which we’ve covered quite a bit_), these new imaging recipes are simple to download and use with some of your favorite Nikon cameras. Here’s the full list of the new imaging recipes set to be available now: * Nikon | RED * CineBias by RED * CineBias-T - Cool Atmosphere by RED * CineBias-C - Crisp Teal Contrast by RED * CineBias-CC - Noir Vibes by RED * CineBias WC - Grit & Glow by RED * CineBias-TC - Green Edge Experimental by RED * CineBiasOffset by RED * CineBias Achromic by RED * CineBias BleachBypass by RED * Ludwig Favre * VINTAGE FILM by Ludwig Favre * Siinapse * Golden Brown by Siinapse * Instant Film Studio * Movie Green Orange by Instant Film Studio You can check out examples of each on _Nikon’s website here_, where the imaging recipes can be downloaded for free. ### ### ###

The 2026 Sundance Film Festival has officially announced the full lineup, featuring 90 feature films and seven episodic projects, promising a captivating slate of stories from both emerging talents and established global artists. The festival runs from January 22 to February 1, 2026, and will take place in its home in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, with a dedicated online program available nationwide from January 29 to February 1. This year is truly special as it will serve as a profound tribute to Sundance Institute founder Robert Redford, honoring the transformative vision that has redefined independent cinema worldwide. As Sundance Institute Acting CEO Amanda Kelso notes, it will be a "truly pivotal and memorable moment as we celebrate artists... and honor our founder." With an incredible 97% of the selected films being world premieres, and 40% of feature directors being first-time filmmakers, the lineup is as bold and discovery-focused as ever. The countdown is officially on: Single Film Tickets go on sale January 14 at 10 a.m. MT. Let's dive into the selected films and episodes. * * * ### The 2026 Sundance Film Festival Feature Films and Episodics **U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION** The U.S. Dramatic Competition offers Festivalgoers a first look at the world premieres of groundbreaking new voices in American independent film. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include _Sorry, Baby_ , _Twinless_ , _Dìdi (弟弟)_ , _A Real Pain_ , _In The Summers_ , _Nanny_ , _CODA_ , _Minari_ , _Never Rarely Sometimes Always_ , _The Farewell_ , _Clemency_ , _Eighth Grade_ , and _Sorry to Bother You_.__ **_Bedford Park_****** / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Stephanie Ahn, Producers: Gary Foster, Chris S. Lee, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Theresa Kang, Son Sukku) — Haunted by an abusive childhood, Audrey, a Korean American woman in her 30s, faces her emotional past. When her mother’s car accident brings her back to her parents’ home, she meets the man responsible for the accident. Their relationship builds, passions ignite, and they form a loving connection. _Cast: Moon Choi, Son Sukku, Won Mi Kyung, Kim Eung Soo, Jefferson White. World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Carousel_****** / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Rachel Lambert, Producers: Alex Saks, David Lipper, Robert A. Daly Jr., Ian Gotler, Chris Pine) — A divorced doctor’s carefully constructed life in Cleveland is upended when his daughter’s debate aspirations and the unexpected return of a past love force him to confront his own choices and embrace a second chance. _Cast: Chris Pine, Jenny Slate, Abby Ryder Fortson, Sam Waterston, Katey Sagal. World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_The Friend’s House is Here_****** / U.S.A., Iran (Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Hossein Keshavarz, Maryam Ataei) — In Tehran’s underground art scene, two young women build a blissful world of freedom and sisterhood. But when their creative circle is exposed, they must fight to save each other. _Cast: Mahshad Bahram, Hana Mana, Farzad Karen, Zohreh Pirnia._ _World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!_****** / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Josef Kubota Wladyka, Screenwriter: Nicholas Huynh, Producers: Kimberly Parker Zox, Mao Nagakura) — Haru and Luis love competing in Tokyo’s ballroom dance scene, but after tragedy strikes, Haru withdraws into isolation. When friends coax her back to the studio, she develops an infatuation with the new instructor. She must face what comes next as sparks fly. _Cast: Rinko Kikuchi, Alberto Guerra, Alejandro Edda, YOU, Yoh Yoshida, Damián Alcázar. World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Hot Water_****** / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Ramzi Bashour, Producers: Jesse Hope, Max Walker-Silverman, Josh Peters) — After he’s kicked out of his Indiana high school, an American kid and his Lebanese mom hit the road west. _Cast: Lubna Azabal, Daniel Zolghadri. World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Josephine_** / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Beth de Araújo, Producers: David Kaplan, Josh Peters, Marina Stabile, Mark H. Rapaport, Crystine Zhang) — After 8-year-old Josephine accidentally witnesses a crime in Golden Gate Park, she acts out in search of a way to regain control of her safety while adults are helpless to console her. _Cast: Mason Reeves, Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan, Philip Ettinger, Syra McCarthy, Eleanore Pienta. World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_The Musical_****** / U.S.A. (Director: Giselle Bonilla, Screenwriter and Producer: Alexander Heller, Producers: Rob Lowe, Greg Lauritano, Findlay Brown, Jordan Backhus) — When a frustrated playwright and middle school theater teacher finds out his ex-girlfriend has started dating his nemesis, the school’s principal, he decides to ruin the principal’s chances of winning the Blue Ribbon of Academic Excellence. _Cast: Will Brill, Gillian Jacobs, Rob Lowe. World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Run Amok_****** / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: NB Mager, Producers: Julie Christeas, Frank Hall Green) — A teenage girl stages an elaborate musical about the one day her high school wishes it could forget. _Cast: Alyssa Marvin, Patrick Wilson, Margaret Cho, Sophia Torres, Elizabeth Marvel, Molly Ringwald. World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Take Me Home_****** / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Liz Sargent, Producers: Apoorva Guru Charan, Minos Papas) — Anna, a 38-year-old Korean adoptee with a cognitive disability, cares for her aging parents in a fragile balance of meeting one another’s needs. When a Florida heat wave shatters their family and Anna’s routine, her future is uncertain until she creates a world where she can thrive. _Cast: Anna Sargent, Victor Slezak, Ali Ahn, Marceline Hugot, Shane Harper. World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Union County_****** / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Adam Meeks, Producers: Brad Becker-Parton, Stephanie Roush, Sean Weiner, Faye Tsakas, Martha Gregory) — Assigned to a county-mandated drug court program, Cody Parsons embarks on the tenuous journey toward recovery amid the opioid epidemic in rural Ohio. _Cast: Will Poulter, Noah Centineo, Elise Kibler, Emily Meade, Annette Deao. World Premiere. Available online for public._ **U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION** The U.S. Documentary Competition offers Festivalgoers a first look at world premieres of nonfiction American films illuminating the ideas, people, and events that shape the present day. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include _The Perfect Neighbor_ , _Selena y Los Dinos_ , _Daughters_ , _Sugarcane_ , _Porcelain War_ , _Navalny_ , _Fire of Love_ , _Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)_ , _Boys State_ , _Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution_ , _One Child Nation_ , _American Factory_ , and _On Her Shoulders_. **_American Doctor_** __ / U.S.A., State of Palestine, Malaysia, Qatar (Director and Producer: Poh Si Teng, Producers: Kirstine Barfod, Reem Haddad) — __ When three American doctors — Palestinian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian — enter Gaza to save lives, they find themselves caught between medicine and politics, risking everything to expose the truth. _World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez_** / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: David Alvarado, Producers: Lauren DeFilippo, Everett Katigbak, Amanda Pollak) — Against political resistance and industry skepticism, Luis Valdez pushes Chicano storytelling from the fields to the film screen with _Zoot Suit_ and _La Bamba_ , crafting iconic works that challenge, celebrate, and expand America’s story. _World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Barbara Forever_** __ / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Brydie O’Connor, Producer: Elijah Stevens) — __ An archive-driven exploration of the life, work, and legacy of iconic, pioneering lesbian filmmaker Barbara Hammer. _World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Joybubbles_** __ / U.S.A. (Director: Rachael J. Morrison, Producer: Sarah Winshall) — Joybubbles discovers he can manipulate the telephone system by whistling a magic tone. Born blind and yearning for connection, his early obsession unwittingly lays the groundwork for a subculture that shapes the future of hacking and technology. _World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_The Lake_** __ / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Abby Ellis, Producer: Fletcher Keyes) — __ An environmental nuclear bomb looms in Utah. Two intrepid scientists and a political insider race the clock to save their home from unprecedented catastrophe. _World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Nuisance Bear_** / U.S.A., Canada (Directors: Gabriela Osio Vanden, Jack Weisman, Producers: Michael Code, Will N. Miller, Teddy Leifer) — A polar bear is forced to navigate a human world of tourists, wildlife officers, and hunters as its ancient migration collides with modern life. When a sacred predator is branded a nuisance, it becomes unclear who truly belongs in this shared landscape. _World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Public Access_** __ / U.S.A. (Director: David Shadrack Smith, Producers: Sara Crow, Anne-Marcelle Ngabirano) — __ An unprecedented look inside one of the greatest media experiments to hijack American screens. Rare archives from New York’s underground capture a world of creators who shattered rules, defied censors, and transformed our televisions into a free-speech battleground where anyone could be a star. _World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Seized_** / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Sharon Liese, Producers: Sasha Alpert, Paul Matyasovsky) — When the small town of Marion, Kansas, is thrust into the international spotlight after a police raid on the _Marion County Record_ and the death of its 98-year-old co-owner, a fierce debate ignites about the abuse of power, journalistic ethics, local journalism, and the United States Constitution. _World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Soul Patrol_** __ / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: J.M. Harper, Producers: Sam Bisbee, Danielle Massie, Nasir Jones, Peter Bittenbender) — From deep behind enemy lines, a hidden chapter of American military history is uncovered, prompting the question of whether reckoning with the past can bring peace to those who lived it. The Vietnam War’s first Black special operations team reunites to tell their story. _World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Who Killed Alex Odeh?_** / U.S.A. (Directors: Jason Osder, William Lafi Youmans, Producer: Dawne Langford, William Lafi Youmans, Jason Osder, Daniel J. Chalfen) — The assassination of a beloved Palestinian American activist in Southern California ignites a 40-year quest for justice, revealing the roots of a dangerous political movement that thrives today. _World Premiere. Available online for public._ **WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION** These narrative feature films from emerging talent around the world offer fresh perspectives and inventive styles. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include _Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears)_ , _Girls Will Be Girls_ , _Sujo_ , _Scrapper_ , _Mami Wata_ ,_Hive_ ,_The Souvenir_ , _The Guilty_ , _Monos_ , _Yardie_ , _The Nile Hilton Incident_ , and _The Second Mother_.__ **_Big Girls Don’t Cry_** / New Zealand (Director and Screenwriter: Paloma Schneideman, Producers: Vicky Pope, Thomas Coppell) — Over one transformative summer in rural New Zealand in 2006, 14-year-old Sid Bookman discovers desire, identity, and the internet as she imitates the people she longs to be loved by. _Cast: Ani Palmer, Rain Spencer, Noah Taylor. World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_How to Divorce During the War_** /__ Lithuania, Luxembourg, Ireland, Czech Republic (Director and Screenwriter: Andrius Blaževičius, Producer: Marija Razgutė) — In Vilnius in 2022, Marija has a revelation that she wants to divorce her husband, Vytas, right before Russia invades Ukraine. Forced to confront their crumbling relationship, they navigate the process of divorce as it collides with the ongoing war. _Cast: Marius Repšys, Žygimantė Elena Jakštaitė, Amelija Adomaitytė, Indrė Patkauskaitė, Gintarė Parulytė. World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Extra Geography_** /__ U.K. (Director: Molly Manners, Screenwriter: Miriam Battye, Producer: Sarah Brocklehurst) — In an English girls boarding school, two teenage best friends grapple with the challenges of girlhood — friendship, boys, studies, and growing up — and embark on their school project, falling in love. _Cast: Marni Duggan, Galaxie Clear, Alice Englert. World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Filipiñana_** /__ Singapore, U.K., Philippines, France, Netherlands (Director and Screenwriter: Rafael Manuel, Producers: Jeremy Chua, Alex Polunin, Bianca Balbuena, Bradley Liew, Nadia Turincev, Omar El Kadi) — Tee girl Isabel feels strangely drawn to Dr. Palanca, the president of the country club where she works. However, after piecing together a violent picture of what lies beneath the club’s pristine surface, she realizes that what began as an innocent infatuation is actually rooted in a sinister shared history. _Cast: Jorrybell Agoto, Carmen Castellanos, Teroy Guzman, Carlitos Siguion-Reyna, Isabel Sicat, Nour Houshmand. World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_HOLD ONTO ME (Κράτα Με)_** /__ Cyprus, Denmark, Greece (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Myrsini Aristidou, Producer: Monica Nicolaidou) — 11-year-old Iris learns her estranged father, Aris, is back in town for his own father’s funeral. Determined to know him, Iris tracks him down to a dilapidated shipyard, where he’s been keeping to himself. What begins as a stubborn attempt to reconnect slowly unfolds into a fragile bond. _Cast: Christos Passalis, Maria Petrova. World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_The Huntress (La Cazadora)_** /__ Mexico, U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Suzanne Andrews Correa, Producers: Gabriela Maire, Edher Campos, Mynette Louie) — In the border city of Juárez, Mexico, where violence against women is perpetrated with impunity, an unlikely defender emerges with a desperate call for change. Inspired by true events. _Cast: Adriana Paz, Teresa Sánchez, Jennifer Trejo, Eme Malafe, Guillermo Alonso. World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_LADY_** /__ U.K., Nigeria (Director and Screenwriter: Olive Nwosu, Producer: Alex Polunin) — In the sprawling African metropolis of Lagos, a fiercely independent young cab driver meets a band of radiantly reckless sex workers whose sisterhood pulls her into danger and joy, setting her on a journey toward her own transformation. _Cast: Jessica Gabriel’s Ujah, Amanda Oruh, Tinuade Jemiseye, Binta Ayo Mogaji, Seun Kuti, Bucci Franklin. World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Levitating_** /__ Indonesia, Singapore, France (Director and Screenwriter: Wregas Bhanuteja, Screenwriters: Defi Mahendra, Alicia Angelina, Producers: Siera Tamihardja, Iman Usman, Amalia Rusdi) — In a town where pleasure equals being possessed by spiritual beings, Bayu aspires to be the shaman of a trance party so he can fundraise enough money to prevent an impending eviction. _Cast: Angga Yunanda, Anggun C Sasmi, Maudy Ayunda, Bryan Domani, Chicco Kurniawan. World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Shame and Money_** /__ Germany, Kosovo, Slovenia, Albania, North Macedonia, Belgium (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Visar Morina, Screenwriter: Doruntina Basha, Producers: Fabian Altenried, Sophie Ahrens, Kristof Gerega, Pia Hellenthal) — After losing their livelihood in a village, a Kosovar family is forced to move to the capital in pursuit of a place in a hypercapitalist society. _Cast: Astrit Kabashi, Flonja Kodheli, Kumrije Hoxha, Fiona Gllavica, Alban Ukaj. World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Tell Me Everything_** /__ Israel, France (Director and Screenwriter: Moshe Rosenthal, Producers: Alona Refua, Maya Fischer, Roi Kurland, Ben Giladi, Emilie Georges, Naima Abed) — Amid the late ’80s pop craze and rising HIV epidemic, 12-year-old Boaz uncovers a devastating secret about the father he idolizes that threatens to tear his family apart. Across a yearslong journey, Boaz seeks to heal the wound and reclaim the father-son bond he never stopped yearning for. _Cast: Yair Mazor, Ido Tako, Assi Cohen, Keren Tzur, Mor Dimri, Neta Orbach. World Premiere. Available online for public._ **WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION** These nonfiction feature films from emerging talent around the world showcase some of the most courageous and extraordinary filmmaking today. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include _Prime Minister_ , _2000 Meters to Andriivka_ , _A New Kind of Wilderness_ , _The Remarkable Life of Ibelin_ , _The Eternal Memory_ , _20 Days in Mariupol_ , _All That Breathes_ , _Flee_ , _Honeyland_ , _Sea of Shadows_ , _Shirkers_ , and _Last Men in Aleppo_. **_All About the Money_** __ / Ireland (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Sinéad O’Shea, Producers: Claire McCabe, Harry Vaughn, Katie Holly, Sigrid Dyekjær) — __ A son of one of America’s wealthiest families creates a communist revolutionary base in rural Massachusetts as a means of disrupting the capitalist system he grew up in but has now come to despise. It’s the starting point of an astonishing journey. _World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Birds of War_** __ / U.K., Syrian Arab Republic, Lebanon (Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Janay Boulos, Abd Alkader Habak, Producer: Sonja Henrici) — __ The love story of a London-based Lebanese journalist and a Syrian activist and cameraman as told through 13 years of personal archives across revolutions, war, and exile. _World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Closure_** __ / Poland (Director and Producer: Michał Marczak, Producers: Monika Braid, Rémi Grellety, Katarzyna Szczerba, Karolina Marczak) — __ After his teenage son goes missing, Daniel scours the depths of the Vistula River, torn between the dread of a fatal leap and the hope that his son may still be alive. _World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Everybody To Kenmure Street_** __ / U.K. (Director and Producer: Felipe Bustos Sierra, Producer: Ciara Barry) — __ In May 2021, a U.K. Home Office dawn raid triggers one of the most spontaneous and successful acts of civil resistance in recent memory. In Scotland’s most diverse neighborhood, hundreds of residents rush to the streets to stop the deportation of their neighbors. _World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Hanging by a Wire_** __ / U.S.A., U.K., Pakistan (Director and Producer: Mohammed Ali Naqvi, Producer: Bilal Sami) — __ A routine school commute turns terrifying when a cable car’s wire snaps, leaving eight passengers — including six schoolboys — dangling 900 feet above a ravine in the remote Himalayan foothills. With 10 hours before the remaining cable is expected to fail, a group of rescuers races to save them. _World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Kikuyu Land_** __ / Kenya (Directors and Producers: Andrew H. Brown, Bea Wangondu, Producers: Moses Bwayo, Mike Morrisroe, Joseph Njenga) — __ As a Nairobi journalist probes a land battle entangling the local government and a powerful multinational corporation, covered wounds are revealed and family secrets are exposed. _World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_One In A Million_** __ / U.K. (Directors: Itab Azzam, Jack MacInnes, Producers: Raney Aronson-Rath, Will Anderson, James Bluemel, Andrew Palmer) — __ Filmed over 10 years, one girl’s epic journey from Syria to Germany and back again. She and her family navigate war, exile, and heartbreak in a foreign land, illuminating the complexities of the refugee experience. _World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Sentient_** __ / Australia (Director and Screenwriter: Tony Jones, Screenwriter: Rachel Grierson-Johns, Producer: Ivan O’Mahoney) — __ An investigation into laboratory research on animals exposes a hidden world in which it’s not just the animals getting hurt. The story of Dr. Lisa Jones Engel, a primatologist turned animal welfare advocate, asks whether harming animals and ourselves in science’s name is justified. _World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_Silenced_** __ / Australia (Director: Selina Miles, Producer: Blayke Hoffman) — __ After #MeToo broke the cultural silence on gender violence, international human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson fights against the weaponization of defamation laws to silence survivors. _World Premiere. Available online for public._ **_To Hold a Mountain_** __ / Serbia, France, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia (Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazić, Producers: Quentin Laurent, Rok Biček) — __ In the remote highlands of Montenegro, a shepherd mother and daughter proudly defend their ancestral mountain from the threat of becoming a NATO military training ground, stirring memories of the violence that shattered their family. _World Premiere. Available online for public._ **NEXT** Pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling populate this program. Unfettered creativity promises that the films in this section will shape the greater next wave in global cinema. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include _East of Wall_ , _Little Death_ , _Seeking Mavis Beacon_ , _KOKOMO CITY_ , _A Love Song_ , _RIOTSVILLE, USA_ , _Searching_ , _Skate Kitchen_ , _A Ghost Story_ , and _Tangerine_.__ NEXT is presented by Adobe. **_Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/great-grandparent/great-grandchild]_** / U.S.A., Denmark (Directors and Producers: Adam Khalil, Zack Khalil, Producers: Steve Holmgren, Grace Remington, Jacque Clark, Franny Alfano) — Trapped in museum archives, Ancestors bend time and space to find their way home. History, spirituality, and the law collide as tribal repatriation specialists fight to return and rebury Indigenous human remains, offering a revealing look at the still-pervasive worldviews that justified collecting them in the first place. _World Premiere. Documentary. Available online for public._ **_BURN_** / Japan (Director and Screenwriter: Makoto Nagahisa, Producers: Yasuo Suzuki, Kazunori Seki, Takeyasu Koganezawa) — When runaway teen Ju-Ju is embraced by a tribe of misfit youths in Kabukicho, she finds belonging for the first time — until betrayal and despair twist her haven into a prison, and she’s left with one way to take back control. _Cast: Nana Mori. World Premiere. Fiction. Available online for public._ **_Ghost in the Machine_** / U.S.A.**__**(Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Valerie Veatch) — The untold origins of artificial intelligence lie not in machines but in power, revealing the fantasies behind the hype that got us here and where we go next. _World Premiere. Documentary. Available online for public._ **_If I Go Will They Miss Me_** /**__** U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Walter Thompson-Hernández, Producers: Josh Peters, Saba Zerehi, Ben Stillman) — Twelve-year-old Lil Ant struggles to connect with his father when he begins to see surreal, almost spectral visions of boys drifting around his neighborhood. Their presence reveals a link between father and son, laying bare the threads that bind family, legacy, and place. _Cast: Danielle Brooks, J. Alphonse Nicholson. World Premiere. Fiction. Available online for public._ **_The Incomer_** __ /__ U.K. (Director and Screenwriter: Louis Paxton, Producers: Shirley O’Connor, Emily Gotto) — On a remote Scottish isle, siblings Isla and Sandy hunt birds and talk to mythical beings while fighting off outsiders. Their lives change when Daniel, an awkward official, arrives to relocate them. _Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin, Grant O’Rourke, Emun Elliott, Michelle Gomez, John Hannah. World Premiere. Fiction. Available online for public._ **_Jaripeo_** __ /__ Mexico, U.S.A., France (Directors: Efraín Mojica, Rebecca Zweig, Producer: Sarah Strunin) — A journey to Michoacán’s hypermasculine rodeos descends into the subconscious of memory, queer desire, and longing, leading to a reckoning with the wounds and beauty of a home left behind. _World Premiere. Documentary. Available online for public._ **_Night Nurse_** /**__** U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Georgia Bernstein, Producers: Edwin Linker, Liane Cunje, Veronica Barbosa, Lucy Rogers) — As a series of perverse scam calls unsettles an idyllic retirement community, a starry-eyed nurse becomes entangled with her mysterious patient. _Cast: Cemre Paksoy, Bruce McKenzie, Eléonore Hendricks, Colleen Rose Trundy, Mimi Rogers. World Premiere. Fiction. Available online for public._ **_TheyDream_** /**__** U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: William David Caballero, Screenwriters and Producers: Erin Ploss-Campoamor, Elaine del Valle, Producer: Brad Jones) — After 20 years of chronicling his Puerto Rican family, a director and his mother face devastating losses. Through tears and laughter, they craft animations that bring their loved ones back to life, discovering that every act of creation is also an act of letting go. _World Premiere. Documentary. Available online for public._ **_zi_** /__ U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Kogonada, Producers: Chung An, Christopher Radcliff, Benjamin Loeb, Haley Lu Richardson, Michelle Mao, Jin Ha) — In Hong Kong, a young woman haunted by visions of her future self meets a stranger who changes the course of her night — and possibly her life. _Cast: Michelle Mao, Haley Lu Richardson, Jin Ha. World Premiere. Fiction. Available online for public._ **PREMIERES** This showcase of world premieres presents highly anticipated films on a variety of subjects in both fiction and nonfiction. Fiction films that have screened in Premieres include _Train Dreams_ , _A Different Man_ , _Past Lives_ , _Passages_ , _Promising Young Woman_ , _Kajillionaire_ , _The Report_ , _The Big Sick_ , and _Good Luck to You, Leo Grande_. Past documentary films include _Come See Me in the Good Light_ , _Will & Harper_, _Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie_ ,_Invisible Beauty_ , _The Dissident_ , _Lucy and Desi_ , and _Miss Americana_. **_The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist_** / U.S.A. (Directors: Daniel Roher, Charlie Tyrell, Producers: Daniel Kwan, Jonathan Wang, Shane Boris, Diane Becker, Ted Tremper)**__** — A father-to-be tries to figure out what is happening with the AI insanity, exploring the existential dangers and stunning promise of this technology that humanity has created. _World Premiere. Documentary._ **_Antiheroine_**** __** / U.K., U.S.A. (Directors: Edward Lovelace, James Hall, Producers: Julia Nottingham, Melanie Archer, Hattie Bridges Webb, Jon Lullo)**__** — Singer, songwriter, and actor Courtney Love has long had an impact on rock and pop culture. Now sober and set to release new music for the first time in over a decade, Courtney is ready to reveal her story, unfiltered and unapologetic. _World Premiere. Documentary._ **_The Brittney Griner Story_** / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Alexandria Stapleton, Producers: Stacy Scripter, Funmi Akinyode, Megan Goedewaagen, Carolyn Hepburn)**__** —** __** Explores the circumstances that led to Brittney Griner playing basketball outside the U.S. despite being one of the best players in the sport, including her harrowing detainment, unwavering determination to secure her freedom, and her advocacy for the release of other wrongful detainees. _World Premiere. Documentary._ **_Chasing Summer_** / U.S.A. (Director: Josephine Decker, Screenwriter and Producer: Iliza Shlesinger, Producers: Rob Guillermo, Ray Maiello, Nihaar Sinha, Houston King, Sam Pressman)**__** —** __** After losing both her job and boyfriend, Jamie retreats to her small Texas hometown, where friends and flings from a fateful high school summer turn her life upside down. _Cast: Iliza Shlesinger, Garrett Wareing, Lola Tung, Cassidy Freeman, Tom Welling, Megan Mullally. World Premiere. Fiction. Available online for public._ **_THE DISCIPLE_** / U.S.A, U.K. (Director and Producer: Joanna Natasegara, Producers: Abigail Anketell-Jones, Lauren Dark, Vanessa Kirby)**__** —** __**An outsider fueled by relentless determination works his way into the inner circle of the Wu-Tang Clan, where his ambition and creativity converge in the making of an album poised to ignite global controversy._World Premiere. Documentary._ **_Frank & Louis _**/ Switzerland, U.K. (Director and Screenwriter: Petra Biondina Volpe, Screenwriter: Esther Bernstorff, Producers: Reto Schaerli, Lukas Hobi)**__** — Frank, serving a life sentence, takes a prison job caring for aging inmates with Alzheimer’s and dementia. What begins as a self-interested bid for parole becomes a profound, transformative bond with fellow inmate Louis, offering Frank a glimpse of redemption in an unforgiving place. _Cast: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Rob Morgan, René Pérez Joglar, Rosalind Eleazar, Indira Varma. World Premiere. Fiction._ **_Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass_** / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: David Wain, Screenwriter: Ken Marino, Producers: Anthony Bregman, Peter Cron, Ken Marino, Crystine Zhang, Charles Zhong)**__** —** __** Midwestern bride-to-be Gail Daughtry has a “free celebrity pass” agreement with her fiancé — who uses it. With her relationship in crisis, Gail sets out on an epic journey through Hollywood to even the scales. _Cast: Zoey Deutch, Jon Hamm, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Ben Wang.____World Premiere. Fiction._ **_The Gallerist_** / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Cathy Yan, Screenwriter: James Pedersen, Producers: Ash Sarohia, Sophie Mas, Natalie Portman, Jonathan King, Tom McCarthy, Rae Baron)**__** —** __****__** A desperate gallerist conspires to sell a dead body at Art Basel Miami. _Cast: Natalie Portman, Jenna Ortega, Sterling K. Brown, Zach Galifianakis, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Catherine Zeta-Jones.____World Premiere. Fiction._ **_Give Me the Ball!_** / U.S.A. (Directors and Producers: Liz Garbus, Elizabeth Wolff, Producers: Dominic Crossley-Holland, Dan Cogan, Chris James, Gentry Kirby)**__** — World champion tennis trailblazer Billie Jean King has had a game-changing impact on culture and sports. Rare archive and candid interviews with Billie Jean and those closest to her reveal how one woman put changing the world ahead of saving herself. _World Premiere. Documentary._ **_The History of Concrete_** / U.S.A. (Director: John Wilson, Producers: Clark Filio, Shirel Kozak, Allie Viti) — After attending a workshop on how to write and sell a Hallmark movie, filmmaker John Wilson tries to use the same formula to sell a documentary about concrete. _World Premiere. Documentary._ **_I Want Your Sex_** / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Gregg Araki, Screenwriter and Producer: Karley Sciortino, Producers: Seth Caplan, Teddy Schwarzman, Michael Heimler, Courtney L. Cunniff)**__** —** __** When fresh-faced Elliot lands a job with artist and provocateur Erika Tracy, his fantasies come true as she taps him to become her sexual muse. But Elliot finds himself out of his depth as Erika takes him on a journey into a world of sex, obsession, power, betrayal, and murder. _Cast: Olivia Wilde, Cooper Hoffman, Mason Gooding, Chase Sui Wonders, Daveed Diggs, Charli xcx.____World Premiere. Fiction._ **_In The Blink of An Eye_** / U.S.A. (Director: Andrew Stanton, Screenwriter: Colby Day, Producer: Jared Ian Goldman)**__** — Three storylines, spanning thousands of years, intersect and reflect on hope, connection, and the circle of life. _Cast: Rashida Jones, Kate McKinnon, Daveed Diggs, Jorge Vargas, Tanaya Beatty. World Premiere. Fiction. 2026 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize Winner._ **_The Invite_** / U.S.A. (Director: Olivia Wilde, Screenwriters: Rashida Jones, Will McCormack, Producers: David Permut, Ben Browning, Megan Ellison) — Joe and Angela are on thin ice, and tonight might be when it all falls apart. Unfortunately, their upstairs neighbors are about to arrive for dinner, and everything that can go wrong goes worse. _Cast: Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz, Edward Norton. World Premiere. Fiction._ **_Jane Elliott Against the World_** / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Judd Ehrlich, Producers: Max Powers, Elena Gaby)**__** — A rural Iowa schoolteacher becomes a national voice against racism after leading a controversial 1968 lesson in discrimination with her all-white third-grade class. Now nearly 90, she refuses to hold back amid today’s fights about race, history, and power after a lifetime of speaking out. _World Premiere. Documentary. Available online for public._ **_Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie_** / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Alex Gibney, Producers: Erin Edeiken, Sruthi Pinnamaneni)**__** — Previously unseen footage captured by Salman Rushdie’s wife, Rachel Elizabeth Griffiths, documents his journey. Following not just his physical rehabilitation, but also the restoration of his spirit and optimism. Inspired by Rushdie’s memoir _Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder_._World Premiere. Documentary._ **_The Last First: Winter K2_** / U.S.A., U.K. (Director: Amir Bar-Lev, Producers: John Battsek, Sean Richard, Sarah Thomson, Howard T. Owens, Ben Silverman)**__** — The race to grab the last great prize in mountaineering, K2 in winter, left five dead. It exposed deep fault lines in alpinism today: pressures from commercialization, toxic effects of social media, and long-brewing tensions between those who’ve been marginalized and those who’ve always basked in the sport’s glory. _World Premiere. Documentary._ **_The Moment_** / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Aidan Zamiri, Screenwriter: Bertie Brandes, Producers: Charli xcx, David Hinojosa)**__** — A rising pop star navigates the complexities of fame and industry pressure while preparing for her arena tour debut. _Cast: Charli xcx, Rosanna Arquette, Kate Berlant, Jamie Demetriou, Hailey Benton Gates, Alexander Skarsgård. World Premiere. Fiction._ **_The Oldest Person in the World_** / U.S.A. (Director: Sam Green, Producers: Alison Byrne Fields, Josh Penn)**__** —** __**A decade-long global journey chronicles the ever-changing record holders of the title of oldest person alive. What begins as a portrait of longevity becomes a meditation on the passage of time, the randomness of fate, and the joy and profound human experience of being alive._World Premiere. Documentary._ **_Once Upon A Time In Harlem_** / U.S.A. (Directors: William Greaves, David Greaves, Producers: Liani Greaves, Anne de Mare) — A decade after his death, genre-defying filmmaker William Greaves has one last trick up his sleeve with what he considered the most important event he captured on film: a 1972 party he engineered with the living luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance. _World Premiere. Documentary._ **_The Only Living Pickpocket in New York_** / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Noah Segan, Producers: Katie McNeill, Leopold Hughes, Ben LeClair)**__** —** __**When a theft goes awry, a veteran pickpocket is sent on a mission through New York to reclaim the stolen goods._Cast: John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Will Price, Tatiana Maslany, Steve Buscemi. World Premiere. Fiction._ **_Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story_**** __** / U.S.A. (Directors and Producers: Judd Apatow, Neil Berkeley, Producers: Amanda Rohlke, David Heiman)**__** —** __**Blurring the line between performance and personal crisis, comedian Maria Bamford turns her mental health journey into material that’s riotously funny and ultimately inspiring. What emerges is a portrait of an artist transforming vulnerability into creative strength through honesty._World Premiere. Documentary._ **_Queen of Chess_** / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Rory Kennedy, Screenwriters and Producers: Mark Bailey, Keven McAlester) —** __** A Hungarian girl dreams of conquering international men’s chess. After a 15-year battle against world champion Garry Kasparov and her domineering father, Judit Polgár revolutionizes the sport’s patriarchal culture to become one of the greatest chess prodigies in history and the greatest woman chess player of all time. _World Premiere. Documentary._ **_See You When I See You_**** __** / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Jay Duplass, Screenwriter and Producer: Adam Cayton-Holland, Producers: Fred Bernstein, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon)**__** —** __**With the help of his family, a comedy writer battles PTSD after the tragic death of his sister._Cast: Cooper Raiff, David Duchovny, Kaitlyn Dever, Hope Davis, Lucy Boynton, Ariela Barer. World Premiere. Fiction._ **_The Shitheads_** / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Macon Blair, Producers: Alex Orr, Brandon James, Nathan Klingher, Mark Fasano, Josh Harris, Ford Corbett)**__** —** __****__** When two unqualified bozos are hired to transfer a rich teen to rehab, their straightforward gig quickly spirals into dangerous mayhem. _Cast: Dave Franco, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Mason Thames, Kiernan Shipka, Nicholas Braun, Peter Dinklage. World Premiere. Fiction._ **_Time and Water_** / U.S.A., Iceland (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Sara Dosa, Screenwriters: Jocelyne Chaput, Erin Casper, Andri Snær Magnason, Producers: Shane Boris, Elijah Stevens, Jameka Autry) — Facing the death of his country’s glaciers and the loss of his beloved grandparents, Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason turns his archives into a time capsule to hold what is slipping away — family, memory, time, and water. _World Premiere. Documentary. Available online for public._ **_Troublemaker_** / South Africa, U.S.A., U.K. (Director and Producer: Antoine Fuqua, Screenwriter: Michael Toomey Mann, Producers: Mac Maharaj, Arthur Landon, Kevin Mann, Mark Bauch, Thabang Lehobye)**__** —** __**The struggle against apartheid is recounted through Nelson Mandela’s own voice, drawn from recordings he made while writing his autobiography _Long Walk to Freedom_. _World Premiere. Documentary._ **_The Weight_** __ / U.S.A. (Director: Padraic McKinley, Screenwriters: Matthew Booi, Matthew Chapman, Shelby Gaines, Producers: Simon Fields, Nathan Fields, Ryan Hawke, Jonas Katzenstein, Maximilian Leo) — __ In Oregon in 1933, Samuel Murphy is torn from his daughter and sent to a brutal work camp. Warden Clancy tempts him with early release if he smuggles gold through deadly wilderness, but betrayal festers within the crew, and Murphy questions how far he’ll go to see his child again. _Cast: Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe, Julia Jones, Austin Amelio, Avi Nash, Sam Hazeldine. World Premiere. Fiction._ **_When A Witness Recants_**** __** / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Dawn Porter, Producers: Miriam Weintraub, Jennifer Oko)**__** —** __**In 1983, author Ta-Nehisi Coates learned that a 14-year-old boy was murdered in his Baltimore middle school. Upon revisiting the case, he uncovers the truth: Three innocent teenagers were wrongfully convicted and spent 36 years in prison — creating a lasting impact on the accused, the witnesses, and their community._World Premiere. Documentary._ **_Wicker_**** __** / U.S.A. (Directors and Screenwriters: Eleanor Wilson, Alex Huston Fischer, Producers: Ed Sinclair, Tom Carver, Justin Lothrop, Brad Zimmerman, Ryan Heller, Lia Buman)**__** —** __**A fisherwoman asks a basketmaker to weave her a husband._Cast: Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, Peter Dinklage, Elizabeth Debicki, Marli Siu, Nabhaan Rizwan. World Premiere. Fiction._ **MIDNIGHT** From horror flicks and wild comedies to chilling thrillers and works that defy any genre, these films will keep you wide-awake and on the edge of your seat. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include _Together_ , _I Saw the TV Glow_ , _Love Lies Bleeding_ , _Infinity Pool_ , _Talk to Me_ , _FRESH_ , _Hereditary_ , _Mandy_ , _Relic_ ,__ and _The Babadook_. **_The Best Summer_** /**__** U.S.A, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand (Director and Producer: Tamra Davis, Producer: Shelby Meade) — Immersive POV camera footage reveals electric performances, candid interviews, and intimate backstage life with the Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Foo Fighters, Pavement, Rancid, Beck, The Amps, and Bikini Kill — an all-access view inside an era-defining moment in music. _World Premiere. Documentary. Available online for public._ **_Buddy_** __ /__ U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Casper Kelly, Screenwriter: Jamie King, Producers: Tyler Davidson, Drew Sykes, Raphael Margules, J.D. Lifshitz, Tracy Rosenblum) — A brave girl and her friends must escape a kids television show. _Cast: Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Topher Grace, Keegan-Michael Key, Michael Shannon, Patton_ _Oswalt_ _. World Premiere. Fiction._ **_Leviticus_** /**__** Australia (Director and Screenwriter: Adrian Chiarella, Producers: Samantha Jennings, Kristina Ceyton, Hannah Ngo) — Two star-crossed teenage boys must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most — each other. _Cast: Joe Bird, Stacy Clausen, Mia Wasikowska, Jeremy Blewitt, Ewen Leslie, Davida McKenzie. World Premiere. Fiction._ **_Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant_** /**__** New Zealand (Director and Screenwriter: THUNDERLIPS, Producers: Alix Whittaker, Morgan Leigh Stewart, Ilai Amar — When a messy millennial underachiever accidentally gets alien-pregnant, she must overcome skeptical doctors, a useless baby daddy, and her oversharing mum in order to survive and reclaim her life. _Cast: Hannah Lynch, Yvette Parsons, Arlo Green, Jackie van Beek. World Premiere. Fiction._ **_Rock Springs_** / U.S.A., Canada (Director and Screenwriter: Vera Miao, Producers: Stephen Feder, Kiri Hart, Poppy Hanks, Greta Talia Fuentes, Jason Michael Berman, Jordan Moldo) — After the death of her father, a grieving young girl moves to an isolated house in a new town with her mother and grandmother, only to discover there is something monstrous hidden in the town’s history and the woods behind their new home. _Cast: Kelly Marie Tran, Benedict Wong, Jimmy O. Yang, Aria Kim, Fiona Fu. World Premiere. Fiction. Available online for public._ **_Saccharine_** /**__** Australia (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Natalie Erika James, Producers: Anna McLeish, Sarah Shaw) — Hana, a lovelorn medical student, becomes terrorized by a hungry ghost after taking part in an obscure weight loss craze: eating human ashes. _Cast: Midori Francis, Danielle Macdonald, Madeleine Madden. World Premiere. Fiction._ **_undertone_** __ /__ Canada (Director and Screenwriter: Ian Tuason, Producers: Dan Slater, Cody Calahan) — The host of a popular paranormal podcast becomes haunted by terrifying recordings mysteriously sent her way. _Cast: Nina Kiri, Adam DiMarco, Michèle Duquet, Keana Lyn Bastidas, Jeff Yung. U.S. Premiere. Fiction._ **** **EPISODIC** Our Episodic section was created specifically for bold stories told in multiple episodes, with an emphasis on independent perspectives and innovative storytelling. Past projects that have premiered within this category include _Pee-wee as Himself_ , _Hal & Harper_, _Penelope_ , _LOLLA: THE STORY OF LOLLAPALOOZA_ ,_Willie Nelson and Family_ , _OJ: Made in America_ , _Top of the Lake,_ _Wild Wild Country_ , _The Jinx_ , _Work in Progress_ , _State of the Union_ , _Gentefied_ , _Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men_ , and _Quarter Life Poetry_. **_BAIT_** __ /__ U.K., U.S.A. (Executive Producers: Riz Ahmed, Allie Moore, Ben Karlin) — Struggling actor Shah Latif auditions for the role of a lifetime, only to see his life spiral out of control over four frenetic days. _Cast: Riz Ahmed, Guz Khan, Sheeba Chaddha, Sajid Hasan, Aasiya Sha. World Premiere. Fiction. Six-episode season, screening first three episodes in person._ **_The Screener_****** / U.S.A. (Directors: Jim Cummings, PJ McCabe, Producers: Michael J. McGarry, Thomas Cross) — An independent film screener leaks from a talent agency. _Cast: Shereen Lani Younes, Jon Rudnitsky, B.K. Cannon, Boni Mata, Shaun Brown, Nicolette Doke. World Premiere. Fiction. Five-episode series,____screening first three episodes in person._ **Fiction Pilot Showcase:** **_FreeLance_** / U.S.A. (Directors: The Turner Brothers, Executive Producers: Cynthia Turner, Stephen Love Jr., Spence Moore II, Kevin Fredericks) — A young filmmaker documents his journey toward his first movie as he moves in with a friend group of ambitious creatives, all trying to support one another’s dreams in an oversaturated market. This inexperienced crew of 20-somethings takes on unorthodox jobs to build their brand and pay rent. _Cast: Spence Moore II, Lou Young, Lou Ratchett, Bernard “B Nard” Clark, René Vaca, Elijah Cooper. World Premiere. Fiction._ **_Soft Boil_** / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Alec Goldberg, Producers: Camille Wormser, Hannah Connery, Clay Susick, Vivian Kerr, Don Ohmer) — Lulu takes a job as a nanny only to discover that her new boss isn’t who she expected._Cast: Camille Wormser, John Gemberling, Madison Shamoun, Vivian Kerr, Patrick Tabari. World Premiere. Fiction._ **_Worried_** /**__** U.S.A. (Director: Nicole Holofcener; Executive Producers: Tim Foley, Michael B. Clark, Adele Romanski, Mark Ceryak, Barry Jenkins) — No one is more worried about Jules and Poppy than Jules and Poppy. _Cast: Gideon Adlon, Rachel Kaly, Devon Bostick, Cora Kirk. World Premiere. Fiction._ **Nonfiction Pilot Showcase:** **_Murder 101_** /__ U.S.A. (Director: Stacey Lee, Executive Producers: Stephanie Lydecker, Dianne McGunigle, Jon Watts) — A case that haunted Tennessee’s best detectives for decades is cracked wide open by the most unlikely of investigators: a high school sociology class. _World Premiere. Documentary._ **_The Oligarch and the Art Dealer_** __ /__ Denmark, France, U.S.A. (Director: Andreas Dalsgaard, Producers: Christoph Jörg, Miriam Norgaard) — Yves Bouvier brokers masterpieces, from da Vinci to Rothko, into the private collection of Dmitry Rybolovlev until Bouvier is accused of a billion-dollar betrayal. Rising ambitions, frayed relationships, and bruised egos fuel a decade-long all-out war between the Swiss art dealer and the elusive Russian oligarch. _World Premiere. Documentary._ **SPOTLIGHT** The Spotlight program is a tribute to the cinema we love, presenting films that have played throughout the world. Films that have played in this category in recent years include _One to One: John & Yoko_, _Hit Man_ , _Joyland_ , _The Worst Person in the World_ , _The Biggest Little Farm_ , _The Rider_ , _Ida_ , and _The Lobster_.__ Spotlight is presented by Audible.**__** **__** **_Broken English_** /**** U.K. (Directors and Screenwriters: Jane Pollard, Iain Forsyth, Screenwriter: Ian Martin, Producer: Beth Earl) — A portrait of the inimitable singer, songwriter, and icon Marianne Faithfull. _U.S. Premiere. Documentary._**__** **__** **_Tuner_** / Canada, U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Daniel Roher, Screenwriter: Robert Ramsey, Producers: JoAnne Sellar, Lila Yacoub, Teddy Schwarzman, Michael Heimler) — A gifted piano tuner with a unique auditory condition discovers an unexpected aptitude for cracking safes, turning his life upside down. _Cast: Leo Woodall, Dustin Hoffman, Havana Rose Liu, Lior Raz, Tovah Feldshuh, Jean Reno. Fiction._ **FAMILY MATINEE** For over a decade, the Family Matinee section of the Festival (formerly known as KIDS) has been built for audiences of all ages, but especially for our youngest independent film fans. Films that have played in this category in recent years include _The Legend of Ochi_ , _Out of My Mind_ , _Blueback_ , _The Elephant Queen_ , _Science Fair_ , _The Eagle Huntress_ , and _Shaun the Sheep_. **_Cookie Queens_** /__ U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Alysa Nahmias, Producers: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw, Jennifer Sims) — It’s Girl Scout Cookie season, and four tenacious girls strive to be a top-selling “Cookie Queen,” navigating an $800 million business in which childhood and ambition collide. _World Premiere. Documentary._**_Salt Lake City Celebration Film._** **_Fing!_** /__ Australia, U.K. (Director: Jeffrey Walker, Screenwriters: David Walliams, Kevin Cecil, Producers: Jo Sargent, Todd Fellman) — A demanding little girl and her parents, the Meeks, battle an outrageously entitled viscount to protect their rare, furry, one-eyed Fing from those fixated on exploiting this wondrous creature. _Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Blake Harrison, David Walliams, Iona Bell, Penelope Wilton, Taika Waititi. World Premiere. Fiction._ **SPECIAL SCREENINGS** One-of-a-kind moments highlight new independent works that add to the unique Festival experience. **_The Story of Documentary Film_** __ / U.K. (Director: Mark Cousins, Producer: John Archer) — __ Tracing the evolution of documentary film across time, examining landmark works and hidden treasures, while revealing how the form has helped us see and make sense of our world. _World Premiere. Documentary._ That's the lineup. Let me know what you think in the comments.

In this episode of the No Film School Podcast, No Film School founder Ryan Koo and host GG Hawkins, along with producer and guest Ana Liza Muravina, dig into the ramifications of the news that Netflix is bidding (or may be outbid by Paramount) to acquire Warner Brothers — and what this massive consolidation could mean for the future of theatrical film, streaming, and the livelihoods of filmmakers. ### **In this episode, we****discuss:** * How theatrical attendance has been in decline for decades, long before COVID — from the post–World War II boom through the arrival of television, home video, and streaming. * Why the recent surge in acquisitions and mergers (from Comcast/Universal, Disney/Fox, Amazon/MGM, to the potential Netflix–Warner deal) spells trouble for market competition in both production and distribution. * What consolidation means for filmmakers trying to get projects financed and sold — fewer buyers, fewer distribution windows, and diminished bidding wars that once supported indie and mid‑budget films. * The potential financial upside for studios and executives (like David Zaslav), contrasted with the limited upside — or none — for writers, directors, actors, and other creative laborers. * The possible benefits of global streaming platforms: ability to reach worldwide audiences, support for diverse or niche stories (e.g., a basketball movie about a young Black player), and access for filmmakers outside traditional Hollywood systems. * How now more than ever filmmakers might need to pivot: embrace scrappy, independent means of production/distribution, build creative communities, and consider alternate funding — rather than relying on traditional studio financing and residual structures. * That this may be a painful but necessary transition: the collapse of one ecosystem could open space for a new kind of filmmaking — more distinct voices, counterculture, experimentation, and potentially a new model for how films get made and distributed. __ **Guests:** * Ana Liza Muravina ### If you want to hear more from Ana Liza Muravina, check out our previous episode in which she demystifies the film industry and explains how to navigate it. ### ### **Subscribe to the No Film School Podcast on:** * Apple Podcasts * Spotify * Google Get your question answered on the podcast by emailing podcast@nofilmschool.com ### _Listen to more episodes of the No Film School podcast right here:_

Get ready for a stunningly awkward trip down the aisle, because A24 just dropped the teaser trailer for their forthcoming feature, _The Drama_ , and it looks like wedding bells are ringing... with a heavy dose of anxiety and insanity. And to celebrate, A24 actually put a fake engagement announcement in the newspaper. It's such a smart way to virally market a movie and to get people outside the box engaged with your storytelling. > See on Instagram But outside of the fake marriage announcement, they have a trailer that dropped, which is getting a lot of buzz, too. The highly anticipated film stars Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as a blissfully engaged couple whose seemingly perfect nuptials are thrown into chaotic jeopardy by an earth-shattering, stunning revelation. Let's dig into the trailer below. * * * ### The Drama Trailer _The Drama_ centers on Emma Harwood (Zendaya), an employee at a publishing house, and her partner, Charlie Thompson (Pattinson), a British museum director. The new teaser gives us our first look at the couple meeting with a professional photographer for their official wedding pictures. But instead of radiating genuine pre-wedding joy, the duo appears to be battling something very internal and external. The feature is helmed by writer-director Kristoffer Borgli, following the success of his dark comedy, _Dream Scenario_. Borgli, who directed _The Drama_ from his own script, is joining forces with heavyweight producers Ari Aster, Lars Knudsen, and Tyler Campellone. Rounding out the cast of _The Drama_ are Mamoudou Athie, Alana Haim, and Hailey Gates. This has to be on everyone's radar next year, and looks ot be one of A24's big swings for awards. Let me know what you think of the trailer in the comments.