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Before the sharp sentiments of “Schindler’s List,” the adventurous appeal of the “Star Wars” prequels, and the edge-of-the-seat thrill of “Taken,” Northern Irish actor Liam Neeson began his acting journey in theatre in Belfast. He moved to cinema in the 1970s with his debut performance in Ken Anderson’s “Pilgrim’s Progress.” Rapidly developing his filmography, Neeson left behind the innocent charm of his debut for more complex dramatic roles in films like “The Mission” and arguably his most well-known work, “Schindler’s List.” The latter earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor while solidifying his status as an A-list actor in Hollywood.

In his later career, Neeson moved away from the dialogue-driven dramas and towards the action thriller genre. His role as an ex-CIA father in “Taken” was the first of many action heroes the actor would go on to play. Though much of this period became tiring for his fans,...

Caroline Dinenage Returns Unopposed To Culture, Media & Sport Committee Hotseat

The UK’s Culture Media & Sport Committee (Cmsc), which scrutinizes the work of the film and TV industries, has re-elected Caroline Dinenage as chair. Dinenage, whose father Fred Dinenage was a TV presenter, was the sole nomination and therefore elected unopposed. She had been chair for around a year before parliament was dissolved for the July 4 election. During her tenure she oversaw the review into the high-end TV and film industries, which saw the likes of Gurinder Chadha, Slow Horses director James Hawes and the head of Amazon UK appear in front of the committee. That work will need to be started from scratch if Dinenage chooses to do so. “I’m delighted to be re-elected to chair the Culture, Media and Sport Committee and entrusted to build on our achievements in the last parliament,” said Dinenage. “These sectors are our global economic super-power,...

Full programme details have been revealed for Screen International’s ‘The Future Of Film’ Summit taking place in London on September 24 at BFI Southbank.

Click here for the full schedule.

The day will start with the latest news on the UK Independent Film Tax Credit (Iftc). Insights will come from experts who are helping with the development of the Iftc and others who are cash-flowing it. They are Neon Films’ producer Nicky Bentham, Coutts’ executive director of media banking Judith Chan, BFI deputy CEO Harriet Finney, and partner, film and TV team, at Saffrey, Moses Nyachae.

‘State Of The Nation’ will see four top producers,...

Screen International’s ‘The Future of UK Film’ summit will host a panel focused on how the UK Global Screen Fund (Ukgsf) can help support international collaborations.

The high-level conference will be held on September 24, 2024, at BFI Southbank, London.

Buy tickets here

The Ukgsf panel will feature recipients from the programme’s three funding strands – international co-production, international business development and international distribution – talking about how they have benefitted from Ukgsf funding.

The panelists are:

Ken Anderson, founder and executive producer at Wild Child Animation, Zoo Lane Productions, Tg Entertainment; and Red Kite Animation. With over 30 years of experience, Anderson...

Screen International’s ‘The Future of UK Film’ summit will host a panel focused on how the UK Global Screen Fund (Ukgsf) can help support international collaborations.

The high-level conference will be held on September 24, 2024, at BFI Southbank, London.

Buy tickets here

The Ukgsf panel will feature recipients from the programme’s three funding strands – international co-production, international business development and international distribution – talking about how they have benefitted from Ukgsf funding.

The panelists are:

Ken Anderson, founder and executive producer at Wild Child Animation, Zoo Lane Productions, Tg Entertainment; and Red Kite Animation. With over 30 years of experience, Anderson...

Let's be real: Dragons are awesome! Since ancient Mesopotamians whispered about Tiamat and Marduk's red serpent servant, the legend of dragons thrived. For generations, these scaly creatures have induced fear and delight. Tolkien drew from these myths to bring the creature into the modern fantasy canon, with his childhood love of Fafnir, Siegfried's legendary foe, transformed into the prideful Smaug. Now the fantasy genre is almost synonymous with dragons. Of course, the '70s introduction of Dungeons & Dragons helped, too! Today, there's a resurgence of love for these big fellas -- starring in movies like "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Raya and the Last Dragon."

Putting dragons on the big screen is a huge technical challenge. Not every movie's budget can commit to that feat. For decades, animation came to the rescue -- pitching price-conscious versions to younger and more accepting viewers. But after the release of "Jurassic Park,...

The animation industry has lost a pioneer. Burny Mattinson, who has worked with Walt Disney Animation Studios on several esteemed projects over the years, has passed away at the age of 87. According to The Walt Disney Company in an official statement, he had passed after a short and undisclosed illness. Working across several departments in the animation company, he worked at The Walt Disney Company for almost 70 years and was due to receive a one-of-a-kind award on June 4, 2023. He is survived by his wife, as well as the families of his son and daughter.

"Burny's artistry, generosity, and love of Disney Animation and the generations of storytellers that have come through our doors, for seven decades, has made us better," wrote Walt Disney Animation chief creative director Jennifer Lee. "All of us who have had the honor to know him and learn from him will ensure his legacy carries on.

London-based VFX powerhouse Framestore has appointed Akhauri P. Sinha as the head of its new Mumbai studio. A 20-year industry vet, Akhauri joins from Method, where he was Managing Director of the studio’s Indian operations. His credits include Indian VFX work on Jumanji: The Next Level and Ford vs Ferrari. He will report directly to Framestore’s Global Managing Director, Film, Fiona Walkinshaw, and will be responsible for setting up Framestore’s newest office, a facility based in the heart of Mumbai’s vibrant tech district. Framestore’s recent work includes on Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Wonder Woman 1984, His Dark Materials and The Witcher.

Pairs-based TV distribution outfit Newen, a subsidiary of TF1 Group, has hired former Studiocanal exec Rodolphe Buet as Chief Distribution Officer. He will be tasked with bringing together the activities of Newen Distribution and TF1 Studio, with a view to creating a diverse European distribution business.

Welcome to this review of National Wrestling Alliance: Powerrr, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and the world would be better off if we stopped using money. Do you really like money? It’s a pain in the ass. My whole dumb plan would be to ask people to just give each other goods and services for free. Don’t wait for the governments to do this, because they won’t. I bet that if people did this for a week, we’d get addicted to that world without money in short order. Yeah, we’d have to re-assess how we live our lives (kiss restaurants and servants bye-bye…mostly), but I have faith that, when the chips are down, people will make the right decisions if you actually let them make the decision for them-selves. What does this have to do with Nwa: Powerrr? Technically,...

Henry Lee Lucas confessed to killing hundreds of people in the Eighties — but it’s unclear whether he actually killed all of them. As such, he is single-handedly responsible for hundreds of unsolved murders; he likely confessed to murders he didn’t commit, thus ending investigations into cases that should not yet be closed.

Lucas is the subject of Netflix’s newest true crime docuseries The Confession Killer, debuting December 6th. The five-part series was directed by Oscar nominee Robert Kenner (Food Inc.) and Taki Oldham.

Lucas was sent to...

After five years of combining animated short subjects, and a combo live-action/animation feature, Disney dove into full feature animation fantasy again with the most basic of Fairy Tales. Just because he learned to create animation for a price doesn’t mean that the quality slacked off — the wondrous design and animation is augmented by terrific songs. Yes, half the picture is about cute mice and birds and other critters … which are done so well, the show is worth seeing multiple times. This handsome Signature Collection release follows earlier Diamond and Platinum releases … and don’t ask me to decode that classification system.

Cinderella

Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Code

Walt Disney

1950 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 75 min. / The Signature Collection / Street Date June 25, 2019 / 39.99

Voice Actors: Ilene Woods, Eleanor Audley, Lucille Bliss, Rhoda Williams, Verna Felton.

Songs: Mack David, Al Hoffman, Jerry Livingston

Directing Animators: Les Clark, Marc Davis, Norm Ferguson, Ollie Johnston, Milt Kahl,...

WWE.com

Being a fan of professional wrestling is often very similar to being a sports fan.

With both, you get shocking results, glorious highs, depressing falls from grace, and a fair share of scandals to boot. Although it may not seem the most immediate similarity, pro wrestling can also has its own version of the drama that comes with athletes switching teams, through the medium of the talent raid.

If executed at the right moment, talent raids can often change the entire landscape of the business. Several times over the past few decades, the shift of pro wrestlers has signified (or even prompted) a mass shift in fan opinion, whether between two mainstream promotions, or from one smaller independent company to a larger one.

Here’s a look at the biggest talent raids in wrestling history. Som spread out over the course of a few years, others executed immediately...

WWE.com

Nowadays, Ken Anderson feels at home in Tna. The fallout from his WWE tenure is still clearly something that bugs the man, because it routinely comes up in interviews and other media appearances. As ‘Mr. Kennedy’, the guy was scheduled to experience a huge push towards the WWE Title. A combination of injuries and WWE Wellness Policy violations would eventually cost him that chance.

In 2009, he was released from his contract. Reported heat with Randy Orton and others in the company was cited as the main reason, and Anderson was reborn as Mr. Anderson in Impact Wrestling. This week’s article features a stunning revelation from Anderson on something none other than Vince McMahon hated about his performances. Right up until he left WWE, McMahon repeatedly admonished the wrestler for this particular decision.

That’s exactly what is focused on here, 10 pro wrestling-related facts which weren’t exactly common knowledge before this week.

Ryan Lambie Feb 8, 2019

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a risk that could have finished Disney. Instead it changed cinema.

In 2013, Walt Disney Animation Studios released Frozen, its 53rd animated feature. With takings of well over $1 billion and counting, it ranks as the most successful animated film of all time, eclipsing the previous title holder (Pixar's Toy Story 3) by around $200 million.

For a generation who'd grown up with such films as The Lion King and Tangled, Disney probably seems like an immovable cultural force: as recognizable and unchanging as Mount Rushmore or the American flag. But Disney has survived a series of peaks and troughs since its founding in the 1920s, from its decline in the 1970s and early '80s, its revival in the '90s, and its second burst of creative energy in the 2010s.

From its inception, Disney Animation Studios has moved with the times,...

Imagine if there was no WWE. Imagine if business had taken a nosedive after Vince McMahon bought out Ecw and WCW and he’d had to sell up. Seems unlikely doesn’t it, but just imagine. No John Cena. No Monday Night Raw. No Wrestlemania. That’s right – with no Wrestlemania to look forward to the biggest event on the wrestling calendar would be presented by Tna Impact Wrestling. The biggest PPV of the year would be Slammiversary. Just imagine.

So with that in mind, let’s take a look at what Tna has to offer for this Sunday’s live event.

Hernandez Vs Kid Kash

I haven’t been watching a lot of Tna’s programming recently so I have to say I’m oblivious to why this match is taking place. I would assume it’s because Kid Kash is a) awesome and b) a ‘veteran’ from Tna’s past.

Yes folks, it’s Tna PPV time again and we’ve had a look into our crystal ball to see who will be upsetting who and who has all the gold when the dust has settled.

Over the last few months we’ve seen the slow build of Robert Roode as a legit heel World Champion despite knowing in our heart of hearts that he’s only carrying the title while Tna build James Storm into the new Super-Face of the company. In the meantime he’s been feuding with on-air authority figure Sting, which leads us into yet another PPV main event starring a wrestler way beyond his prime despite a full roster of young talent that could put on a show stealing performance.

Robbie E and his TV Title Open Challenge.

I can’t believe Robbie E still has a job, or at least this horrendous gimmick. He...