Sharareh Drury

Each year, Variety curates a list of the top film school programs across North America. From universities that are as old (or older) than the moving picture itself, to budding programs, the schools on this list collectively offer an impressive array of educators, facilities and lessons to be learned. Countless alumni from these programs have […]

When prospective students of the University of Southern California visit the school, tour guides like to point out several noteworthy landmarks on campus: Heritage Hall and its multiple Heisman trophies on display, the symbolic Tommy Trojan statue and Norris Cinema Theatre, where students of all majors congregate each Thursday night to watch and discuss cinema […]

When Ally Lewber joined the cast of “Vanderpump Rules” in Season 10 as James Kennedy’s new girlfriend, the chances for drama could not have been any higher. Kennedy had recently ended an engagement with fellow cast member Rachel Leviss, and the history of exes mingling with new partners on the series has historically not gone […]

YouTube’s popular “Tab Time” series, starring “America’s mom” and Emmy-winning host Tabitha Brown, just got bigger. Brown and creative studio Kids at Play have announced the launch of the “Tab Time World” app plus an all-new children’s book series and online shop as an expansion of the Emmy-winning young children’s series “Tab Time,” co-created by […]

Filmmakers Farah Nabulsi and Darin J. Sallam recently came together to discuss how ongoing violence in Gaza has impacted the Palestinian creative community, the hardships they’ve endured telling their stories, concerns over Hollywood censorship and hopes that film can “preserve” Palestinian history for the Muslim Girl Code podcast‘s debut episode “Will Storytelling Save Palestine?” In […]

“My planet, Arrakis, is so beautiful when the sun is low. Rolling over the sands, you can see spice in the air,” a proud and somber Chani says of her desert planet, Arrakis, which is home to the Freman, at the beginning of Denis Villeneuve‘s “Dune: Part One.” Critics around the world hailed the first […]

When “Vanderpump Rules” returned for Season 11 on Jan. 30, viewers and cast members alike were still reeling from what might be one of reality television’s most shocking scandals ever — the revelation that Tom Sandoval was cheating on longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix with their co-star Rachel Leviss, which was quickly deemed the #Scandoval. Though […]

From the Soviets beating the U.S. to the moon to humans finally making it to Mars, Apple TV’s “For All Mankind” imagines an alternate history of space exploration. Joel Kinnaman leads the series as astronaut Ed Baldwin, a role the Swedish-born actor calls “a gift” for being able to portray the conflicted protagonist across decades. […]

Freestyle Digital Media, the digital film distribution division of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group, has picked up North American VOD rights to comedic crime thriller “City of Love.” The film, directed by Èric Boadella, follows troubled ex-con Spencer, who drives for a ridesharing company in Los Angeles after forging the registration of his old red […]

After self-releasing three specials and amassing more than 17 million TikTok fans, Matt Rife is beyond gratified to have scored a Netflix special. “You work your entire career to feel accepted by a network standard,” Rife tells Variety, noting it was both arduous and creatively fulfilling to produce his YouTube specials — “Only Fans,” “Matthew […]