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2024 really was the greatest year for animation ever.

There was an abundance of outrageously wonderful animated features released over the course of 2024 – all sorts of movies, with all sorts of animation styles and points-of-view. The fact that we left off plenty of wonderful movies, like Naoko Yamada’s brilliant, touching “The Colors Within” (which gets a wide release in January – seek it out), the French sci-fi noir “Mars Express” or mainstream gems like Mike Mitchell’s hellzapoppin’ “Kung Fu Panda 4,” tells you what a stellar year it really was.

But enough with the preamble, let’s chart the very best animated features of 2024 – from melancholic stop-motion to wondrous, widescreen computer animation and everything in-between.

DreamWorks Animation/Netflix 10. “Orion and the Dark”

2024’s most underrated movie is, incredibly, a gonzo animated feature written by Charlie Kaufman. Yes, that Charlie Kaufman. Based on the children’s book by Emma Yarlett, it...

The AMC Networks January 2025 schedule has been announced and includes a new season of Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches and AMC’s premiere of Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale; Acorn TV’s new mystery series The Gone; BBC America’s new natural history series exploring Asia; the return of We TV’s hit series Toya & Reginae; and Allblk’s new political thriller Conspirators.

The New Year will also bring exciting film debuts, including IFC Films’ Skincare, starring Elizabeth Banks, comedic slasher Get Away, written by and starring Nick Frost, Shudder’s satirical body horror Grafted, starring Jess Hong, and wrestling-themed action-horror Dark Match, starring Sara Canning and Steven Ogg.

These films, series and more join an extensive catalog of compelling dramas, beloved franchises, popular films, and timely collections on Acorn TV, Allblk, AMC+, BBC America, Hidive, Shudder, Sundance Now, and We TV all month long.

Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches Season...

“Better Man,” the Australian-made biopic inspired by the life of British pop star Robbie Williams, received a leading six nominations for the 2025 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aacta) International Awards on Tuesday. That reinforced the Oz academy’s love affair with writer-director Michael Gracey‘s (“The Greatest Showman”) musical spectacular, in which Williams is transformed into a chimpanzee, after it garnered a record-breaking 16 nominations at Aacta’s local awards earlier this month. “Better Man” is nominated for Best Film alongside “The Brutalist,” which tied with six noms, as well as Denis Villeneuve‘s epic sequel “Dune: Part Two” and critical darlings “Anora” and “Emilia Pérez.”

This is the fourth year that the Aussie kudos have included categories for television, with FX’s “Shōgun” and “The Bear” leading with three nominations each.

This year’s Aacta International Awards also marked a historic moment with the inclusion of motion-capture and...

For our most comprehensive year-end feature, we’re providing a cumulative look at The Film Stage’s favorite films of 2024. We’ve asked contributors to compile ten-best lists with five honorable mentions––many of those personal selections will be shared in coming weeks in separate features––and from tallied votes has this top 50 been assembled.

Without further ado, check out out the best in 2024 cinema below, our ongoing year-end coverage here, and return in the coming weeks as we look towards 2025.

50. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (George Miller)

While Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga earned less than its predecessor at the box office, it was no less creatively satisfying. There should be little hesitation in calling Fury Road one of the greatest action films of all time (if not the greatest); all the more impressive that George Miller had it in him to make Furiosa even more epic.

The Robbie Williams biopic “Better Man” has taken center stage in the 2025 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aacta) Awards nominations.

“Better Man” earned a record-breaking 16 nominations, the most ever received by a single film in the awards’ 66-year history. Directed by Michael Gracey, the musical film secured nods across key categories, including Best Film, Best Direction, and Best Screenplay, as well as multiple acting, technical, and creative honors.

“Better Man” is joined in the Best Film category by George Miller’s “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and “How to Make Gravy,” both with 15 nominations, the horror standout “Late Night with the Devil” with 14, the animated feature “Memoir of a Snail” with 11, and “Runt,” which received four.

For the first time, the Aacta Awards have recognized motion capture and voice performances in acting categories. Jonno Davies received a nomination for his motion capture portrayal of Robbie Williams in “Better Man,...

Exclusive: Amidst the awards campaign for Memoir of a Snail, his latest animated feature, which is one of the best reviewed of the year, Academy Award-winning Australian filmmaker Adam Elliot has signed with UTA for representation in all areas.

Released by IFC Films in October, Memoir of a Snail is an R-rated, stop-motion feature set in 1970s Melbourne that follows the story of Grace Pudel (Sarah Snook), an introverted woman who has endured a lifetime of tragedy. After losing her mother at birth and later her father, Grace and her twin brother, Gilbert (Kodi Smit-McPhee), are separated into different foster homes. Following this series of unfortunate events, the siblings seek friendships in unlikely places before attempting to reunite.

Memoir of a Snail premiered at Annecy in June, winning the Cristal Award, before going on to take the top honor of Best Film at the BFI London Film Festival. Pic also...

Carnival Films CEO Gareth Neame is lauding Downton Abbey as a landmark piece of British television.

The executive spoke at Content London on Thursday alongside a panel of Universal International Studio bosses Beatrice Springborn and Margaret Schatzel, as well as Nigel Marchant, managing director at Carnival Films, to discuss their latest major shows and the direction they’re heading in after NBCUniversal’s acquisition of the production company in 2008.

Neame, Springborn, Schatzel and Marchant spoke extensively about the success of Sky and Peacock’s The Day of the Jackal, the upcoming Colin Firth-led show Lockerbie and Sarah Snook’s All Her Fault.

But first, the four reflected on the example set by the English period drama Downton Abbey starring Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern and Dan Stevens.

“Several foreign buyers came up to me and said, ‘This show is amazing, and we have to have it,...

The HBO drama Succession followed the corporate wars between Brian Cox’s Logan Roy and his three children, who struggled to gain control of their media conglomerate company Waystar RoyCo. The series was widely regarded for its performances, and writing, and also won the Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy for Best Drama Series.

While Cox’s character faced many obstacles in his bid to save his empire, no one was as dangerous as Marcia Roy, his third wife played by Hiam Abbass. The Palestinian actress had been in multiple films such as Blade Runner 2049 and Munich before she joined the series. Abbass mentioned that she was against TV shows before joining Succession.

Succession’s Hiam Abbass Hated TV Before Joining The Show A still from Succession | Credits: HBO

In the four seasons of Succession, Brian Cox’s Logan Roy has faced several obstacles including his children, brother, son-in-law, and his own trusted advisors.

Succession is hailed as one of the most critically acclaimed series in the history of television, and with a star-studded cast of brilliant actors and a similarly well-written story, it is no surprise that it emerged as a frequent Primetime Emmy awardee.

Credits: Jeremy Strong in Succession / HBO

Despite the popularity he gained from the series, actor Jeremy Strong does not miss his time working on the show. Playing Kendall Roy for four seasons took an emotional and mental toll on him, and he firmly expressed no intention whatsoever of reprising the part anytime soon.

Jeremy Strong Confessed to Never Missing His Iconic Role in Succession

Jeremy Strong spoke with The Times and revealed his honest thoughts about portraying his character in Succession. He said the heir-apparent Kendall Roy “f—ked me up” and wishes never to return for any possible spinoff shows.

It’s not something I have any wish to do any longer.

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Beatles ’64 (David Tedeschi)

While Andrei Ujică’s Twst / Things We Said Today, which premiered on the fall festival circuit this year, took a more avant-garde approach to Beatlemania in the United States, the David Tedeschi-directed, Martin Scorsese-produced Beatles ’64 is a far more straightforward and therefore fan-pleasing documentary about the Fab Four. Capturing their February 7, 1964 descent upon NYC, the neatly-assembled, restored archival footage shot by Albert and David Maysles is the finest part of the documentary, while present-day talking heads memories from Paul McCartney (speaking on how their lyrics attempted to make a universal yet personal connection), Ringo Starr, and especially David Lynch provide welcome context. The Mulholland Dr. director remarked about seeing Beatles in a boxing ring, waxing poetic about...

Sarah Snook portrayed the role of Brian Cox’s daughter in the Emmy-winning drama Succession. And while starring in the show the actress witnessed the occasional explosive “diabetic rage” of the 78-year-old actor, who portrayed the family patriarch, Logan Roy throughout the show’s four seasons.

Brian Cox and Sarah Snook | Credit: HBO

While these outbursts were integral to his character on-screen, Snook later revealed that Cox’s on-set eruptions, likely influenced by his diabetes, were likely to energize the atmosphere during filming and reflected in his portrayal of Logan Roy.

Sarah Snook Revealed Brian Cox’s “Diabetic Rage” on Succession Set

In an interview with Times Radio, the Succession star Sarah Snook reflected on her co-star Brian Cox’s occasional outbursts on set. She revealed that the actor would sometimes experience a “diabetic rage,” triggered by his Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis.

Sarah Snook in Succession | Credit: HBO

“He has a...

Gareth Neame, whose Carnival Films shepherded “Downton Abbey” to international success, “could not have anticipated” that the British period drama would not only become a worldwide hit, but launch a successful film franchise, with a third film due September 2025.

But Carnival’s success isn’t limited to the moonshot of “Downton”: The British powerhouse, which sold to NBCUniversal in 2008, just launched “The Day of the Jackal” with Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch for Sky/Peacock and has the upcoming dramas “Lockerbie: A Search for Truth,” starring Colin Firth, and the hotly anticipated “All Her Fault,” Sarah Snook’s first series since “Succession” wrapped.

Neame talked to TheWrap about how his series’ successes have changed the landscape for other U.K.-based productions and how Carnival still feels like a “boutique” studio despite being part of one of the biggest media corporations on the planet.

Read his full Office With a View Q&a below.

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Landman is a neo-Western drama series created by Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace. Based on the podcast Boomtown by Imperative Entertainment Texas Monthly, the Paramount+ series is set in West Texas within the world of oil rigs and it follows Tommy Norris, a crisis executive at a fictional oil company who handles the chaotic day-to-day job of the oil rigs while also dealing with his unhinged family. Landman stars Billy Bob Thornton, Ali Larter, Jacob Lofland, Michelle Randolph, Paulina Chávez, Kayla Wallace, Jon Hamm, Demi Moore, and James Jordan. So, if you loved Landman’s chaotic drama, thrilling story, and compelling characters, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Yellowstone (Peacock & Prime Video Add-On) Credit – Paramount Network

Yellowstone is a neo-Western family drama series created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson. The Paramount Network series...

One of the major issues that fans complain about House of the Dragon is the significant changes, whether in the storyline or the characters. George R.R. Martin’s book, Fire & Blood, provided readers with complicated stories and complex figures that made reading worthwhile, yet it seems the TV show isn’t adapting to the same challenge.

Credits: Olivia Cooke and Emma D’Arcy in House of the Dragon / HBO

From Season 1 of the prequel series, we’ve noticed a drastic change in the personalities of the main characters. Alicent Hightower was supposed to be ruthless and cunning. Rhaenyra Targaryen was supposed to be revengeful. Now, what happened?

Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower Must Embrace Their Villainous Sides

In House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra Targaryen has been programmed to be the protagonist who exhibits every possible characteristic that makes her worthy of becoming a queen. This is not the character that George R.

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While Max (formerly known as HBO Max) is in no way the success story that Netflix is and even if it doesn’t have the vast library that Netflix has you can’t deny the sheer quality of shows that Max has. With some of the greatest stories ever told in the world of television, Max completely justifies its premium subscription price. So, today we are listing the best shows you can check out on Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming service.

Succession Credit – HBO

Succession is a satirical dark comedy-drama series created by Jesse Armstrong. The HBO series follows the Roy family who own and operate one of the biggest global media and entertainment conglomerates, Waystar Royco. When the patriarch of the family, Logan Roy suddenly decides to step down, a succession battle between the Roy siblings ensues to get the top job.

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In this golden age of television, at any given moment we have thousands and thousands of options of brilliant and entertaining TV shows but there are only a few TV shows that will stay with you long after you have finished watching. You will think about their characters, their stories, and in some cases their endings. So, today we thought of making a list of a few shows that you must watch (because of their brilliance) before you die.

Fleabag (Prime Video) Credit – Prime Video

Fleabag is a British dark comedy-drama series created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Based on Waller-Bridge’s one-woman show of the same name, the Prime Video series follows a dry-witted young woman in London as she navigates through the complexities of love and life without any life while dealing with a tragedy. Fleabag stars Phoebe Waller-Bridge,...

This Sunday at 7:30 Pm, CBS presents another compelling episode of “60 Minutes.” Known for its in-depth reporting, this newsmagazine continues to shine a light on the stories that matter. Each segment dives deep into the lives of people making headlines and explores significant events shaping the world.

The Promise – Twenty-three years later, over a thousand families are still waiting for news of loved ones lost in the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11. Correspondent Scott Pelley looks at how efforts to search for and identify their remains have never stopped, driven by the promise made by the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner. Pelley visits their laboratory, which is using new advancements in DNA research and breakthrough techniques to provide answers for families holding on to hope. This is a double-length segment. Nicole Young is the producer.

Aussiewood – Correspondent Jon Wertheim reports on a phenomenon that has long...

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The brilliant dark comedy series Bad Sisters quickly became one of the best series Apple TV+ has to offer with its brilliant cast and great storylines. Created by Sharon Horgan, Dave Finkel, and Brett Baer, the dark comedy series is based on the Belgian series Clan by Malin-Sarah Gozin and it manages to be both genuinely funny and at times deeply disturbing. Bad Sisters stars Sharon Horgan, Eve Hewson, Claes Bang, Sarah Greene, Anne-Marie Duff, Eva Birthistle, Brian Gleeson, and Daryl McCormack. So, if you loved the darkly comedic dynamic between the Garvey sisters, thrilling mysteries, and compelling characters in Bad Sisters here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Big Little Lies (Max & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – HBO

Big Little Lies is a dark comedy mystery drama series created by David E. Kelley. Based...

Arguments are often made by the true auteur artists working today that animation does not constitute a genre in itself, but simply a medium in which to tell stories; western animation too often spreads the idea that animation is best used to help younger audiences reckon with more existentialist ideas that may have been harder to contemplate in live-action. If there’s any crux to that argument that is true, it is that animation does often offer a space for healing, but that doesn’t mean it’s exclusively for children. In fact, the lack of traditional parameters regarding what can be accomplished visually allows animation to reach a potentially much wider audience by discussing a plethora of issues relating to different stages of life.

Adam Elliot’s latest stop-motion animated feature, “Memoir of a Snail,” achieves this ambition, and in no small part because it was loosely inspired by his own life.

It’s been a banner year for animated movies, with artists using the medium to tell stories about robots, cats, snails and the full spectrum of human emotion. These films are just as bold and boundary pushing as the dramas, musicals and historical epics that are seen as top contenders for Oscars. Yet they aren’t getting the same level of attention from the pundit crowd.

Well, if there was ever a time for things to change, it’s now. Heavyweights DreamWorks Animation and Pixar have launched awards campaigns for “The Wild Robot” and “Inside Out 2,” which are virtual locks to nab best animated feature nominations. But, these movies also aim to break into major categories, notably best picture. And you know what? It shouldn’t be an either/ or scenario. Why not both?

Notably, “The Wild Robot” just won the Scad Savannah Film Festival Audience Award, beating out 122 narrative feature films,...

It was only when the team at Carnival Films decided they would fast forward The Day of the Jackal to the present day that things started getting interesting.

Carnival bosses Gareth Neame and Nigel Marchant had toyed with the idea of remaking Frederick Forsyth’s 1971 historical novel about the fictional assassination of Charles de Gaulle for a few years but had always concluded that the 1973 movie version starring Edward Fox “cannot be bettered so why would you want to remake it,” according to Neame.

“We revere the film enormously but kept talking about [a remake],” he added. “It was such an intriguing, interesting idea and we couldn’t quite let it go.”

So in the midst of the pandemic, Neame and Marchant decided they would instil two obvious points of difference by making The Day of the Jackal into a 10-episode series and setting it in a 21st century milieu, with no...

Exclusive: After landing his first Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his work in the fourth and final season of HBO’s Succession, Alan Ruck has joined the all-star cast that has assembled to support Marc Maron in In Memoriam, the forthcoming comedy from Thelma producer Invention Studios.

His role is being kept under wraps, as has been the case with all supporting castings thus far.

Written and directed by Rob Burnett (The Fundamentals of Caring), this is the story of a veteran Hollywood actor (Maron) who becomes obsessed with securing a spot in the Academy Awards’ “In Memoriam” montage after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis. This leads to a heartfelt exploration of ego, humility, and legacy.

Also part of the stacked cast, as previously announced, are Talia Ryder, Lily Gladstone, Sharon Stone, Judy Greer, Justin Long and Michael McKean. Invention Studios’ Nicholas Weinstock and Divya D’Souza are producing alongside Maron,...

Tyler Perry’s Beauty in Black has been the No. 1 new Netflix show on the Netflix Top 10 since it premiered on the streaming service on Oct. 24.

The series tells the story of the wealthy Bellaire family who have legitimate and illegitimate business enterprises in the hair-care industry. When Kimmie (Taylor Polidore Williams), a dancer, tries to do something different with her life, she becomes caught up in the Bellaire family's web of lies, corruption, and crime.

There are eight episodes of Beauty in Black on Netflix right now, but there's good news! There are actually 16 episodes in the first season of Beauty in Black, but Netflix split the season into two parts. According to a report from Unilad, Beauty in Black season 1 part 2 is coming in the spring of 2025.

We shared a list of five shows you should watch if you like Beauty in Black!

P-Valley

Where to watch: Starz...

George Clooney’s Good Night, and Good Luck will open on Broadway in April.

The play, which Clooney wrote with Grant Heslov, will begin previews at the Winter Garden Theatre March 12, 2025, with an opening night set for April 3. Clooney will also make his Broadway debut in Good Night, and Good Luck in the role of journalist Edward R. Murrow.

The stage play is based on the 2005 film written by Clooney and Heslov and follows Murrow’s clash with U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy as Murrow pushes to continue reporting on McCarthy’s anti-communist efforts. David Cromer, who won a Tony Award for his direction of The Band’s Visit, will direct the production.

Clooney directed the film and also played Fred W. Friendly, co-producer of Murrow’s television program, while David Strathairn played Murrow. The movie was nominated for six Academy Awards, including best picture.

Heslov and Clooney have also worked...

Four top films this weekend are indies – five including The Substance at no. 11, as the specialty market roars back to life. No. 3 at the domestic box office is a great story, Conclave from Focus Features, the studio behind the Downtown Abbey films. excels at drawing still elusive but key older demos to theaters and broadening out from there as it did most recently with Oscar-winning The Holdovers.

The Vatican thriller by Edward Berger (whose All Quiet On The Western Front took the Best International Feature Oscar in 2023) and starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini opened to a sweet $6.5 million at about 1,750 theaters. The kicker is that some 77% of the audience is over 35 with the biggest chunk (44%) being 55+, a rare feat.

The title refers to the ancient tradition that sees Cardinals from across the globe gather sequestered behind Vatican walls to elect a new Pope when the previous Eminence expires.

While many of the animated films that dominate the awards conversation are studio-produced, there are usually a few indie contenders that shine through. This year, that title belongs to Adam Elliot’s devastating Memoir of a Snail — the claymation filmmaker’s second feature after Mary and Max. While it can be incredibly difficult to watch at times, Elliot’s movie is poignant and consistently beautiful, making it a must-see for animation enthusiasts.

Memoir of a Snail Review

Memoir of a Snail tells the story of a woman who grew up after being separated from her twin brother in the foster care system, having to face all the joys and tragedies of life by herself or with the companionship of other kindred souls she meets along her journey. If it’s not clear, this isn’t your typical family-friendly animated film, having a much darker story and more mature themes than...

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Territory is an Australian neo-Western drama series created by Ben Davies and Timothy Lee. The Netflix series revolves around the world’s largest cattle station, Marriane Station which has been owned for generations by the Lawson family but it becomes subject to takeover by various parties after the Lawson family engages in a succession battle for ownership of the property. Territory stars Anna Torv, Michael Dorman, Robert Taylor, and Sam Corlett. So, if you loved the Western element, engaging family drama, thrilling story, and compelling characters in Territory here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Yellowstone (Peacock & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Paramount+

Yellowstone is a neo-Western drama series created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson. The Paramount Network series follows the Dutton family who own the largest ranch in Montana. The plot mostly revolves...

Indie releases from limited (Memoir of a Snail) to wide (Conclave) are testing an increasingly lively specialty box office heading into awards season with a handful of decorated documentaries this week including Dahomey, Black Box Diaries, My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock and A New Kind of Wilderness and some notable expansions.

Also hitting theaters this weekend, a new documentary showing the soft side of Donald Trump, The Man You Don’t Know, whose producers are crying foul, saying a number of theaters have bailed on opening weekend.

Expansions: Anora, Neon’s Cannes Palme d’Or-winning film by Sean Baker, expands to 35 screens after posting 2024’s top limited opening of $550,000 on six screens. It heads into week 2 with a $752,400 cume. Utopia’s The Line goes from one screen to 55, and High Tide from Strand Releasing expands from NYC to Los Angeles at the Laemmle’s Royal and NoHo 7.

A24’s We Live In Time...

Exclusive: Carl Clemons-Hopkins, one of the Emmy-nominated stars of Max’s Emmy-winning comedy Hacks, has signed with Independent Artist Group for representation.

On Hacks, Clemons-Hopkins portrays Marcus Vaughan, the loyal, hardworking and highly organized head of the management team repping famed Las Vegas stand-up Deborah Vance (Jean Smart). For their work opposite Smart and Hannah Einbinder, they earned their first Emmy nomination back in 2021, becoming the first out, gender non-binary actor to be recognized in any category. To date, Clemons-Hopkins has also been nominated for a pair of SAG Awards as part of the ensemble.

Hacks returned for its third season in May and has already been renewed for a fourth.

In film, Clemons-Hopkins recently starred opposite Elizabeth Banks, Sarah Snook and Zach Galifianakis in The Beanie Bubble, a dramedy inspired by the Beanie Babies craze of the 1990s, from Apple and Imagine Entertainment. Additional film credits include Nia DaCosta...

Australian actress Andrea Solonge has become the twelfth recipient of the Heath Ledger Scholarship.

Solonge was announced as recipient of the prestigious award at an Australians in Film event held last night at Soho House in West Hollywood attended by the likes of Yellowjackets actors Melanie Lynskey and Simone Kessell, The Bear co-showrunner Joanna Calo and Rabbit Proof Fence director Phillip Noyce.

The award was established in 2012 after The Dark Knight actor Ledger had tragically passed away. It has broadly become the key barometer and platform for new talent coming out of Hollywood, with previous recipients including American Horror Story: Apocalypse actor Cody Fern, Mojean Aria (Reminiscence), Ashleigh Cummings (Citadel), Charmaine Bingwa (Emancipation) and Rahel Romahn (A Mad Max Saga).

Solonge will receive a $10,000 living allowance, rent and transport assistance in LA, plus several other prizes aimed at building her career in Hollywood, such as private coaching, tax advice and headshot and publicity aid.

There is a light at the end of writer-director Adam Elliot’s claymation tunnel, though it’s a cold and artificial respite from its lifelong suffering. Though Elliot’s sadsack bookworms persist through their hardships, Memoir Of A Snail piles on the pain. By the time its Series Of Unfortunate Events finally relents,...

Is “Shōgun” about to pull a “Succession” at the 2025 Golden Globes?

Currently at Gold Derby, the FX historical epic leads three top categories in our Golden Globe predictions: Best Drama Series, Best Drama Actor for Hiroyuki Sanada, and Best Drama Actress for Anna Sawai. If it also manages to pull off a fourth victory in a supporting race, it would match “Succession’s” total of four from last year.

For its final season, HBO’s family drama won the series prize at the Golden Globes and it also took home trophies for lead actors Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook, plus supporting player Matthew Macfadyen.

If “Shōgun” rides off with only the three top categories for series, lead actor, and lead actress, it would still be in good company indeed, as only a handful of dramas have done so. Besides “Succession” in 2023, “The Crown” most recently accomplished this feat in 2020. Before that,...

The 7th Annual Animation Is Film Festival wrapped up with the announcement that Gints Zilbalodis’ “Flow” took the Grand Prize, while “Memoir of a Snail” won the Special Jury Prize and tied with “The Colors Within” for the Audience Award. In the Shorts section, the Grand Prize went to “Wander to Wonder,” and the Special Jury Prize went to “A Crab in the Pool.”

The feature competition titles also included “Boys Go to Jupiter,” “Ghost Cat Anzu,” and “Sultana’s Dream.”

“Flow” is a wordess fantasy adventure about a world inhabited by animals, in which a black cat is forced to survive the aftermath of a flood on a boat with a capybara, lemur, stork, and golden retriever. Animated in the open-source Blender with its real-time engine, the CG animals have a soft quality while the environments are sharper. “Without a word of dialogue, Gints Zilbalodis weaves sound, music and...

Nominations voting is from January 8-12, 2025, with official Oscar nominations announced January 17, 2025. Final voting is February 11-18, 2025. And finally, the 97th Oscars telecast will be broadcast on Sunday, March 2 and air live on ABC at 7 p.m. Et/ 4 p.m. Pt. We update our picks through awards season, so keep checking IndieWire for all our 2025 Oscar predictions.

The State of the Race

“Inside Out 2” (Pixar/Disney) has become the Best Animated Feature Oscar favorite as the year’s box office phenomenon, putting Pixar back on top theatrically after its recent drought. The other frontrunners include “The Wild Robot” (DreamWorks/Universal), Annecy and Animation Is Film Special Jury Prize winner “Memoir of a Snail” (IFC),” Ottawa and Animation Is Film Grand Prize winner “Flow” (Sideshow/Janus Films), and “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” (Aardman/Netflix).

Still to come are “Moana 2” (Disney) and “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim...

That Memoir of a Snail is a catalog of bleakly unfortunate events shouldn’t come as a surprise to those who’ve seen Adam Elliot’s previous feature, Mary and Max, and his Oscar-winning short Harvie Krumpet before it. This stop-motion animated film—part seven of a “trilogy of trilogies”—opens with Grace Pudel witnessing the last gasp of an elderly pal, Pinky (Jacki Weaver). As she goes to scatter Pinky’s ashes in the garden, Grace narrates her life in a shy whisper to a pet snail, sparing no tragic detail.

Grace’s mother died in childbirth, and her alcoholic father was left paralyzed from a traffic accident. She loves her twin brother, Gilbert, a budding pyromaniac who defends her from school bullies, but even this relationship doesn’t last, as they’re separated and shipped off to foster homes at separate ends of Australia once their father passes.

Update, Oct. 21: The previously announced The Picture of Dorian Gray starring Succession actor Sarah Snook will open Thursday, March 27, 2025 on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre. Previews will begin Monday, March 10, 2025. The Picture of Dorian Gray will play a strictly limited engagement for 14 weeks.

Previous, Oct. 1: Following a sold out, critically acclaimed run in the West End, the new adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray starring Succession actor Sarah Snook in 26 roles will open on Broadway in March for a limited engagement.

The production is adapted and directed by Kip Williams. The adaptation began at the Sydney Theatre Company, where Williams is the Artistic Director.

The play will mark Snook’s Broadway debut. She won the Olivier Award for the role in the London premiere production. In it, Snook plays all 26 characters in the story.

The official synopsis: “Wilde’s timeless text is revolutionized...

Memoir Of A Snail took the Best Film title in London Photo: Courtesy of London Film Festival Adam Elliot’s Memoir Of A Snail has won the Best Film Award in Official Competition at the 68th BFI London Film Festival.

The stop-motion sees a woman (voiced by Sarah Snook) recall the unfortunate events that have peppered her life with tragicomic verve. It continues a winning run for the Aussie director, who also took the top prize in Annecy in June. The film is due for release in the UK and Ireland next February.

Rungano Nyoni’s On Becoming A Guinea Fowl received a special mention.

Laura Carreira’s UK debut On Falling, about a migrant working as a picker in a Scots fulfilment warehouse, which already took the directing Silver Shell in San Sebastian, won the Lff Sutherland Award for Best First Feature. It will be distributed in the UK by Conic.

Modern Films has acquired UK-Ireland distribution rights on Memoir Of A Snail, which won the Best Film award in Official Competition at the BFI London Film Festival today.

Modern is scheduling a theatrical release for February 2025, with an awards campaign. Anton and Charades handle international sales on the film.

Australian director Elliot’s second feature-length animation is a story of a melancholic woman – voiced by Sarah Snook – who is a hoarder of snails, romance novels and guinea pigs.

Australian stars Eric Bana, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jacki Weaver and Nick Cave are also among the voice cast, as is Elliot.

The film...

The 68th edition of the BFI London Film Festival (Lff) is wrapping up Sunday night with Piece by Piece, the animated Lego biopic of Pharrell Williams by Morgan Neville (Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, 20 Feet From Stardom) following the unveiling of this year’s various competition winners, led by Adam Elliot’s claymation feature Memoir of a Snail.

Set in Australia in the 1970s, the movie, which had already won the animation-focused Annecy Film Festival, stars Succession‘s Sarah Snook as Grace Pudel, a shy girl born with a cleft palate who grows up with her wild and occasionally pyromaniac twin brother Gilbert (Kodi Smit-McPhee) but eventually becomes a lonely hoarder of ornamental snails. Her only friend is a wild octogenarian named Pinky (Jacki Weaver). Eric Bana, Dominique Pinon, and Nick Cave provide supporting voice work. IFC Films has set an Oct. 25 U.S. release date.

Memoir of a...

Memoir Of A Snail, the latest stop motion pic from Oscar-winning filmmaker Adam Elliot, and Edinburgh-based filmmaker Laura Carreira’s haunting debut feature On Falling are among the top prize winners at this year’s London Film Festival.

The competition winners were announced this afternoon by the London Film Festival’s various juries. The jury heads were Alexandre O. Philippe, (Official Competition), Dionne Edwards (First Feature Competition), June Givanni, (Documentary Competition), and Chloe Abrahams (Short Film Competition).

Memoir Of A Snail took Best Film while Carreira’s On Falling, produced by Jack Thomas-o’Brien of Sixteen Films, won the Sutherland Award in the First Feature Competition. On Falling is the first British feature to win the Sutherland Award since 2010. Clio Barnard won it that year with The Arbor. Previous winners include Andrea Arnold, Lynne Ramsay, Robert Eggers, Julia Ducournau, and Mati Diop.

Memoir Of A Snail tells the tale of separated twins in 1970s Australia.

Adam Elliot’s stop-motion animation Memoir Of A Snail has won the Best Film Award in Official Competition at the 68th BFI London Film Festival (Lff).

Australian director Elliot’s second feature-length animation is a story of a melancholic woman – voiced by Sarah Snook – who is a hoarder of snails, romance novels and guinea pigs.

Scroll down for the full list of Lff 2024 winners

The film had its world premiere in competition at Annecy in June where it also won the top prize, and went on to open Melbourne film festival and win awards at festivals in Sitges and Ottawa.

Jeremy Strong has closed the Kendall Roy chapter of his life and is ready to move on.

The Succession star said in a recent interview that he does not miss playing the character he gave life to on the HBO drama for four seasons.

“It f*** me up,” Strong told The Sunday Times about playing Kendall.

Strong says that Succession “was an incalculable gift” and added, “The material a banquet. So I miss that. But Kendall’s struggle was difficult to carry for seven years. And there’s just so much more I want to do.”

The actor won an Emmy in 2020 for his role in the series, but don’t expect him to carry Kendall on in a spinoff series.

“It’s not something I have any wish to do any longer. I’m aware it is one of the main chapters of my life, but I don’t miss it,...

Nicholas Braun has a message for all the fans who wanted more for Greg in the Succession series finale: Greg will come out on top.

The Saturday Night star stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ahead of the theatrical release of the upcoming film, in which he plays both Andy Kaufman and Jim Henson. During the late night conversation, the host asked the Emmy-nominated actor about his thoughts on the Succession series finale.

“I thought the episode was amazing,” Braun told Jimmy Fallon. “Fans are kind of generally, like, a little bit upset at how it ended with Greg. And they’ll come up to me — and he did great — but some people are like, you know, ‘He should have gotten it all.’ Like, ‘I thought he was going to, you know, get everything.'”

He continued, “And I’m like, ‘He kind of did. Like, he’s that close.

The explosive ending of the first season of The Diplomat is right where the trailer for the second season opens. Did a car bomb kill the husband of Kate Wyler (Keri Russell), the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom? The answer arrives fairly quickly in the clip when Wyler approaches her husband, Hal (Rufus Sewell), in a hospital bed, setting the tone for the season.

There’s tension and black humor galore in the two-minute clip, including a tossed off nod to the horror movie classic Black Christmas with the line,...

Exclusive: UCP is making changes to its current department.

Rebecca Franko has been promoted to EVP and Head of Current Series at the NBCUniversal-owned studio. Franko was previously SVP, Current Programming, having joined in 2022.

She will oversee day-to-day operations for the studio’s slate of programming and will also start supporting select projects from Universal International Studios and series streaming on Peacock.

She reports to Beatrice Springborn, President of UCP and Uis. Kenny Tsai, who joined UCP at the same time as Franko as SVP, Current Programming continues in that role.

Franko will work with UCP’s roster including Patrick Macmanus, Nick Antosca and Sue Naegle, and serving as a liaison between production and other departments.

UCP’s slate includes horror series Teacup, from exec producer James Wan and starring Yvonne Strahovski, Scott Speedman and Chaske Spencer, which launches on Peacock on October 10, as well as Suits L.A.

The Australian film-maker of Harvie Krumpet and Mary and Max has long cherished the deadly and deadpan. His latest stars Sarah Snook as a collector of ornamental snails – and draws from a family history of hoarding

Suffering abounds in Adam Elliot’s dark and deadpan films. The Melbourne animator’s claymation characters overdose and lose testicles or imbibe on an array of poisons; they are assailed by strokes and lightning strikes. These beloved underdogs, the Oscar-winning film-maker says, are studies in human imperfection: “I’ve realised my films are about perceived flaws that often aren’t actually flaws.”

Elliot won his Oscar for the 2003 short film Harvie Krumpet, introducing the world to his surprisingly whimsical style. Global attention followed, and his first feature, 2009’s Mary and Max, starred Toni Collette, voicing a little girl who begins a pen pal friendship with the late Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Max, a New Yorker with Asperger syndrome.

Sarah Snook will be reprising her Olivier-winning performance in “The Picture of Dorian Gray” on Broadway next spring. She plays 26 characters in this acclaimed version of the Oscar Wilde classic. Kip Williams adapted the novel about a vain man whose beauty is his downfall and directed this one-woman show.

Snook first took on this acting challenge in 2020 at the Sydney Theatre Company, where Williams is the artistic director. After she wrapped production on the final season of “Succession,” they took the show to London for a sold-out run. Take a look at the trailer for the West End edition of the show above.

Announcing the transfer, Williams said, “I was so humbled by the response from audiences in London to ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray,’ and I could not be more thrilled to be bringing this work to Broadway. It has been extraordinary to witness the way Oscar Wilde’s...

Sarah Snook will come to Broadway this season in The Picture of Dorian Gray.

In the adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s book, Snook plays all 26 characters, in a set involving on stage cameras and video screens. She will make her Broadway debut in the play, after starring in the show’s West End run earlier this year and winning an Olivier Award for best actress.

The production is set to open at March 27, 2025 at the Music Box Theatre. Previews begin March 10.

The play, about a man who sells his soul in order to remain youthful, while a painting of him ages, was adapted and directed by Kip Williams, the artistic director of Sydney Theatre Company, where the production originated.

Snook is well-known for her role as Shiv Roy in Succession, for which she earned an Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and a Critics Choice Award.

“It was a singular...

Sarah Snook, an Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress known for her role on the HBO series “Succession,” will make her Broadway debut this spring. She will star in an innovative stage adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s classic novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” The British production, which has already received positive reviews in London, will open at a Shubert theater in Manhattan for a limited run starting in March.

In the demanding lead role, Snook will portray all 26 characters from the novel. Australian director Kip Williams first developed the adaptation for the Sydney Theater Company, where he works as artistic director. His unconventional staging blends live actors with video shown on on-stage cameras. This allows Snook to dynamically shift between portrayals of each character.

Both Snook and Williams expressed excitement about bringing the acclaimed production to audiences in New York. Snook said she felt “privileged” to perform the story in London,...

Actors steal stuff from set all the time, honestly. Emmy winner Sarah Snook admitted that she snagged some "family photos" of her character, Siobhan "Shiv" Roy, after "Succession" came to a close, and Christopher Walken once revealed that most of his wardrobe is comprised of purloined outfits from his various projects. Simon Helberg, who spent 12 years and seasons playing Howard Wolowitz on "The Big Bang Theory," is no exception — so what did he steal?

In a Reddit post that features a photo of one specific page from Jessica Radloff's book "The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series," Helberg finds himself reflecting on the fact that the series came to a close at the right time, largely because he thinks he would have looked way too old to wear Howard's pop-culture tees and signature turtlenecks. Still, he said he kept one part of Howard's eclectic wardrobe.