Penélope Cruz to Receive Variety’s Creative Impact in Acting Award

Penélope Cruz is making a creative impact

Variety will honor the 49-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actress, who is currently earning praise for her performance in Ferrari, with the Creative Impact in Acting Award at the upcoming Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Penelope CruzThe award will be presented as part of Variety’s annual 10 Directors to Watch and Creative Impact Awards brunch on January 5 at the Parker Palm Springs.

Cruz will be recognized for her accomplished career as a four-time Oscar nominee known for her daring, multidimensional and unforgettable performances in Volver, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Nine and Parallel Mothers.

Her latest film, Ferrari, was directed by Michael Mann and stars Adam Driver as the iconic race car driver and entrepreneur. The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and comes out in theaters on December 25.

It was named to National Board of Review’s list of the year’s top 10 films and earned Cruz a Gotham Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Performance.

“More than 30 years after her stunning film debut in Bigas Lunas’ Venice Festival prize winner, Jamón Jamón, Penelope Cruz continues startling global film audiences with her limitless versatility in films created by the world’s finest directors,” said Variety’s Executive Vice President Content, Steven Gaydos. “Her long association with Pedro Almodóvar has won her major accolades, and she took home the Oscar for Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona. She’s now at the peak of her powers in Michael Mann’s masterpiece, Ferrari. It’s Variety‘s great honor to present our Creative Impact in Acting to Penelope Cruz, for both her illustrious career and for her powerful performance as the unforgettable woman at the heart of Ferrari.’

Poor Things director Yorgos Lanthimos and Killers of the Flower Moon co-writer Eric Roth are also set to receive honors at the January 5 event. Variety  will announce its 10 Directors to Watch on January 3.

The Palm Springs International Film Festival runs January 4 to 15. For additional information visit http://www.psfilmfest.org.

“Priscilla” Star Jacob Elordi Reportedly Appearing at Upcoming Venice Film Festival

Jacob Elordi is bringing his blue suede shoes to Italy…

The 26-year-old half-Spanish Australian actor will reportedly make an appearance at this year’s Venice Film Festival despite the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, according to Deadline.com.

Jacob Elordi,Sources tell the entertainment sire that Elordi, who portrays Elvis Presley, and Cailee Spaeny, who portrays Priscilla Presley, will appear to promote their film Priscilla, directed by Sofia Coppola.

The film also has an interim agreement with SAG-AFTRA, which would allow for the cast to promote the film. Priscilla Presley is also among the contingent.

Sofia Coppola is set to attend the festival alongside the following filmmakers: David Fincher, Michael Mann, Richard Linklater, Woody Allen, Yorgos Lanthimos and actor-turned-director Jack Huston. Some directors attending are WGA members but will be there “as directors.”

The landmark 80th Venice Film Festival kicks off next Wednesday and runs until September 9th. It opens with Italian WWII action film Comandante. The fest was due to open with the Zendaya starrer Challengers but that film backed out of the slot due to the strike.

Selena Gomez to Star Opposite Steve Martin & Martin Short in Hulu’s Comedy Series “Only Murders in the Building”

Selena Gomez is teaming up with two comedy legends…

The 28-year-old Mexican American singer/actress, who rose to acclaim as the star of the Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place, will star alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short in Hulu‘s straight-to-series comedy Only Murders in the Building.

Selena Gomez

Ordered to series in January, the comedy created and written by Martin and John Hoffman revolves around three strangers who share an obsession with true crime who suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one.

Gomez will play the third stranger alongside Short and Martin.

In addition to her co-starring role, Gomez will also executive produce the series alongside Martin, Hoffman, Short, This Is Uscreator Dan Fogelman and Jess Rosenthal. It marks Gomez’s latest executive-producing gig following Netflix‘s 13 Reasons Why and the documentary Living Undocumented.

Only Murders in the Building is Gomez’s latest acting role following her roles in Woody Allen’s A Rainy Day in New York and The Dead Don’t Die. Her other film credits include Spring Breakers, The Big Short, Monte Carlo and Fundamentals of Caring.

Gomez will next appear on HBO Max in her new cooking-while-quarantined series Selena + Chef, which will begin streaming later this month.

Penelope Cruz to Present at This Year’s Oscars

Penelope Cruzhas a date with Oscar

The 45-year-old Spanish actress and Oscar winner is set to present at the 92nd annual Academy Awardson ABC

Penelope Cruz

Cruz, a three-time nominee who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in Woody Allen‘s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, joins a roster of new additions to the presenters roster that includes James CordenBeanie FeldsteinZack GottsagenDiane KeatonShia LaBeouf, George MacKaySteve MartinKeanu Reeves, Maya Rudolph and Sigourney Weaver.

Previously announced presenters include Zazie BeetzTimothée ChalametWill FerrellGal GadotMindy KalingJulia Louis-DreyfusLin-Manuel MirandaAnthony RamosMark RuffaloKelly Marie Tranand Kristen Wiig.

The Oscars will be televised live on February 9 from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

Penelope Cruz Receives Donostia Award at San Sebastian Film Festival

Penelope Cruzis being heralded in her home country…

The 45-year-old Oscar-winning Spanish actress has received San Sebastian Film Festival‘s biggest honor, the Donostia Award.

Penelope Cruz

Cruz was given the prize — which had been announced in May — over the weekend during a gala ceremony in a surprise presentation by her close friend, U2lead singerBono, who praised Cruz for her film roles and her off-screen concern for humanity.

“Penélope’s life on the screen fascinates me because it is a family drama,” he said. “Artists like us, like me, get lost in our own selves. Penelope gets lost in others. That’s why we get lost in her.” 

Upon accepting the award, Cruz spoke out against domestic violence against women in Spain and around the world.

“So far this year, 44 women have been murdered by gender-based violence in our country, and since 2003 more than a thousand. How many women are being murdered around the world?”, she asked. “I hope that when a woman finds the superhuman strength she needs to tell what she is going through in such a situation, she will be heard at first and not when it is too late.”

Cruz dedicated the award to her parents, her children and husband, fellow actor Javier Bardem, and three directors she has worked with: Pedro AlmodóvarBigas Lunaand Fernando Trueba.

Cruz is the youngest actress to receive the Donostia prize, three of which are awarded each year.

Greek director Costa-Gavrasand Canadian actor Donald Sutherlandwere named winners of the honor earlier in the week at the festival in the northern Spanish seaside resort town. Cruz won the best actress Oscar in 2008 for her role in Woody Allen‘s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, becoming the first Spanish actress to win an Academy Award.

Bardem & Cruz to Star in Pablo Escobar/Virginia Vallejo Film “Escobar”

Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz are joining forces on screen…

The 47-year-old Spanish actor and his 42-year-old Spanish actress wife, both Oscar winners, are set to star in Escobar.

Javier Bardem & Penelope Cruz

Written and directed by Fernando Leon de Aranoa, the film is based on a true story of the unlikely relationship between notorious Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar and his polar opposite, the upscale television host Virginia Vallejo, which she detailed in her book Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar.

Dean Nichols and Bardem are producing.

Cruz and Bardem, who got their start on the big screen together more than two decades ago in the low-budget 1992 Spanish comedy/drama film Jamon, Jamon, starred in Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, for which Cruz won a best supporting actress Oscar.

They were back on the same film set once again in Ridley Scott’s The Counselor.

Domingo to Sing in Woody Allen’s Production of Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi”

Placido Domingo is headed into the Wood(ys)

The 74-year-od Spanish tenor, conductor and arts administrator will take on his 146th role when he sings the title character of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi in a Woody Allen production on September 12, the opening night of the Los Angeles Opera 2015-16 season.

Placido Domingo

Allen will return to direct his staging, which premiered in 2008, according to the company. Domingo will conduct the second half of the double bill, a revival of Franco Zeffirelli‘s 1996 production of Leoncavallo‘s Pagliacci featuring Marco Berti as Canio.

Domingo, the L.A. Opera’s general director, has shifted from tenor to baritone parts in recent years. He’s scheduled for his 144th role, the title character in Verdi‘s Macbeth, at Berlin’s Staatsoper starting February 7 and for his role debut as Don Carlo in Verdi’s Ernani at New York’s Metropolitan Opera beginning March 20.

The LA Opera’s 30th anniversary season also includes Jay Hunter Morris in the Los Angeles premiere of Jake Heggie’s Moby-Dick (Oct. 31), Angela Meade in Bellini’s Norma (Nov. 21), Mozart‘s Die Zauberfloete (Feb. 13, 2016), Ana María Martínez in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly (March 12) and Nino Machaidze in Puccini’s La Boheme (May 14).

Cruz Among Spanish Entertainment Industry Representatives Denouncing Israel’s Incursion into Gaza

Penelope Cruz is denouncing Israel’s incursion into Gaza.

The 40-year-old Oscar-winning actress is among dozens of Spanish film stars, directors, musicians and writers, including her husband Javier Bardem and director Pedro Almodovar who’ve published an open letter published on Tuesday, in which they described Israel’s actions as “genocide.”

Penelope Cruz

The entertainment industry representatives also called on the European Union to “condemn the bombing by land, sea and air against the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip.”

In the letter, they demanded a ceasefire by the Israeli military and urged Israel to “lift the blockade, which the Gaza Strip has suffered for more than a decade.”

The letter also said: “Gaza is living through horror these days, besieged and attacked by land, sea and air. Palestinians’ homes are being destroyed, they are being denied water, electricity [and] free movement to their hospitals, schools and fields while the international community does nothing.”

Others who signed the letter include directors Montxo Armendariz and Benito Zambrano, actors Lola Herrera, Eduardo Noriega and Rosa Maria Sarda, as well as musicians Amaral and Nacho Campillo.

The entertainers blamed the new round of violence in the Middle East on the occupation of Palestinian land by Israel, which, the letter said, “continues to advance into and invade the Palestinian territories instead of returning to the 1967 borders.”

Almost 1,100 Palestinians and 56 Israelis have died since the Israeli military began its bombardments of Gaza three weeks ago, according to latest reports.

Bardem, who won the Oscar for supporting actor in 2008 for his role in No Country for Old Men, is a known political activist who frequently expounds on controversial issues.

Cruz won an Oscar in the best supporting actress category in Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona in 2009.

The couple is good friends with Almodovar who has won two Oscars – one for best foreign language film for All About My Mother(2000) and one for best original screenplay for Talk To Her (2002).

Vazquez’s “Rob the Mob” to Premiere at the Miami International Film Festival

Yul Vazquez is preparing to rob the mob in Miami…

The Cuban American actor’s latest film, Rob the Mob, will have its world premiere at the Miami International Film Festival in March.

Screen Shot 2014-01-31 at 12.59.37 PM

Directed by Raymond De Felitta and starring Andy Garcia, the film also stars Michael Pitt, Ray Romano, Burt Young, Griffin Dunne, Frank Whaley, Cathy Moriarty, Aida Turturro and Nina Arianda.

Rob the Mob, which centers on a couple that targets the Mafia for heists and stumbles upon something big at an underground club, is one of nearly 100 films set to be screened at the Miami International Film Festival.

The North American premiere of the Shirley MacLaineChristopher Plummer pairing Elsa & Fred will take place at the 10-day event, which runs March 7-16.

Directed by Michael Radford, the film is a remake of the 2008 Argentine/Spanish film of the same name. Also in the cast are Marcia Gay HardenGeorge Segal, Chris Noth, James Brolin, Wendell Pierce, Jaime Camil and Osvaldo Rios.

In total, 92 feature films and 28 shorts representing 38 countries will premiere at this year’s festival, which marks its 31st edition.

“The programming team believes the selection of films showcased in the festival this year is a reflection of our passion for film, and we hope that it will strengthen our community’s love and appreciation for the art of filmmaking,” MIFF executive director Jaie Laplante said.

The festival will present actor-director John Turturro with its Career Achievement Tribute. Turturro will present his latest film, the Woody Allen starrer Fading Gigolo. The film, which debuted at the Toronto Film Festival, also stars Sharon Stone and Sofia Vergara. 

Here’s the complete list of competition films:

Festival Competition Categories:

The Knight Competition, open to dramatic works from Latin America, Spain and Portugal as well as Latino-themed works produced in the United States:

All About The Feathers (Por las plumas) (Costa Rica, directed by Neto Villalobos) U.S. Premiere
Asteroid (Asteroide) (Mexico, directed by Marcelo Tobar) World premiere
Club Sandwich (Mexico, directed by Fernando Eimbcke)
The Man of the Crowd (O homem das multidões) (Brazil, directed by Marcelo Gomes and Cao Guimarães) North American premiere
Memories of the Desert (Romance policial) (Brazil/Chile, directed by Jorge Durán) World premiere
Natural Sciences (Ciencias naturales) (Argentina, directed by Matias Lucchesi) North American premiere
Séptimo (Spain/Argentina, directed by Patxi Amexcua) North American premiere
To Kill A Man (Matar un hombre) (Chile/France, directed by Alejandro Fernández Almendras)
We All Want What’s Best For Her (Tots volem el millor per a ella) (Spain, directed by Mar Coll) North American premiere
A Wolf at the Door (O lobo atrás da porta) (Brazil, directed by Fernando Coimbra)

Knight Documentary Competition, open to engaging and thought-provoking feature-length documentaries created by international filmmakers that examine social issues, diverse cultures, icons and inspiring people:

The Art Rush (France, directed by Marianne Lamour) North American premiere
The Dog (U.S.A., directed by Allison Berg and Frank Keraudren)
Europe in 8 Bits (Spain, directed by Javier Polo)
Finding Vivian Maier (U.S.A., directed by Charlie Siskel and John Maloof)
Ivory Tower (USA, directed by Andrew Rossi)
Locations: Looking For Rusty James (Locaciones: buscando a Rusty James) (Chile, directed by Alberto Fuguet)
The Notorious Mr. Bout (U.S.A./Russia, directed by Tony Gerber and Maxim Pozdorovkin)
The Overnighters (U.S.A., directed by Jesse Moss)
Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon (U.S.A., directed by Mike Myers)
Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger (U.S.A., directed by Joe Berlinger)

The Lexus Ibero-American Opera Prima Competition for first-time feature filmmakers emerging from Spain, Portugal and Latin America:

Here’s the Deal (Somos gente honrada) (Spain, directed by Alejandro Marzoa) U.S. premiere
Mateo (Colombia/France, directed by Maria Gamboa) World premiere
Stockholm (Estocolmo) (Spain, directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen) U.S. premiere
We Are Mari Pepa (Somos Mari Pepa) (Mexico, directed by Samuel Kishi Leopo)

Papi Shorts Competition:

A Big Deal (China, directed by Yoyo Yao) U.S. premiere
Blue (U.S.A., directed by Justin Malone) World premiere
Chub (U.S.A., directed by Samuel Albis) World premiere
Flamingo (Venezuela, directed by Carl Zitelmann)
Grace (Graça) (Brazil, directed by Anna Clara Peltier) North American premiere
The Phone Call (United Kingdom, directed by Mat Kirkby)
Skin (France, directed by Cédric Prévost) North American premiere
Shirt Out, Game Over! (Switzerland, directed by Eric Paternot) World premiere
Unicorn (Unicornio) (Bolivia, directed by Rodrigo Bellott)
Xenos (United Kingdom/Greece/Denmark, directed by Mahdi Fleifel) North American premiere

A list of noncompetition films and seminars can be found at MiamiFilmFestival.com.

Cannavale to Star Opposite Cameron Diaz in “Annie”

It’s the hard-knock life for Bobby Cannavale

The 43-year-old half-Cuban American has signed on to star in Sony Pictures and Overbrook Entertainment’s in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Annie.

Bobby Cannavale

Cannavale, currently nominated for two Emmy Awards, joins Quvenzhane Wallis, Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz and Rose Byrne in the Will Gluck-directed film.

Cannavale, who most recently appeared in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine, will play a bulldog political adviser to Foxx’s character as he makes a mayoral run in New York.

The film is set for release on Christmas Day 2014.

Gluck is currently revising the film’s screenplay, which was written by Emma Thompson and rewritten by Aline Brosh McKenna. It’s based on the comic strip and the musical stage play Annie, with book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin.

Cannavale will next appear in the Jon Favreau-directed Chef opposite Favreau and Scarlett Johansson, and the Dan Fogelman-directed Imagine with Al Pacino, Jennifer Garner and Annette Bening.