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Grosse Pointe Garden Society is a mystery thriller comedy-drama series created by Jenna Bans and Bill Krebs. The NBC series is set in the suburbs of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and it follows a group of suburban gardening club members who share a murderous secret that ties them together. Grosse Pointe Garden Society stars Melissa Fumero, Aja Naomi King, Ben Rappaport, AnnaSophia Robb, Matthew Davis, Alexander Hodge, Nancy Travis, and Felix Wolfe. So, if you loved the thrilling mystery, dynamic relationships, and compelling characters in Grosse Pointe Garden Society, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

How to Get Away with Murder (Prime Video & Hulu) Credit – ABC

How to Get Away with Murder is a legal mystery thriller drama series created by Peter Nowalk. The ABC series revolves around a group of law students who are...

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Tubi is one of the most popular streaming services, providing its viewers with entertainment for free. We have already compiled a list of the best movies coming to Tubi in February 2025, from our opinion and according to Rotten Tomatoes. So, the only thing left for us to do was compile a list of the best TV shows coming to the Fox-owned streaming service in February 2025.

Minx (February 1) Credit – Starz

Minx is a comedy-drama series created by Ellen Rapoport. The HBO Max and later Starz series is set in the 1970s, and it follows Joyce Prigger, a young feminist in Los Angeles who teams up with Doug Renetti, a shady adult entertainment publisher, to create an erotic magazine for women. Minx stars Ophelia Lovibond, Michael Angarano, Jessica Lowe, Oscar Montoya, Lennon Parham, Idara Victor, and Jake Johnson.

Sorry for Your Loss...

Liam Neeson may have all the skills he needed to lead the Taken franchise to success across three movies that redefined his career, but many people are just discovering that this was just the beginning for the saga of Bryan Mills. The TV series prequel to the Taken franchise is currently streaming on Freevee and has debuted at the top of the streamer’s TV show chart.

The series, which was released in 2017 and stars Clive Standen in the lead role, tracks a younger Bryan Mills, showing how he became the man with the skills that everyone grew to love more than a decade earlier. A former Green Beret who experiences a personal tragedy, Mills' path is set when he becomes bent on revenge while moving into a deadly career as a CIA operative that will certainly come in useful years later.

The series received mixed reviews from critics and audiences.

Lady in the Lake is a thriller drama miniseries created by Alma Har’el. Based on the 2019 novel of the same name by author Laura Lippman, the Apple TV+ series is set in the 1960s in Baltimore and it follows the story of Maddie Schwartz, an investigative journalist as she leaves her overbearing husband to pursue her career and finds herself entangled into two mysterious murders, and she comes in direct conflict with a woman working to advance the agenda of the city’s African American community. Lady in the Lake stars Natalie Portman in the lead role with Moses Ingram, Y’lan Noel, Brett Gelman, Byron Bowers, Noah Jupe, Josiah Cross, Mikey Madison, and Pruitt Taylor Vince starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the thrilling mystery and enticing drama in Apple TV+’s Lady in the Lake, here are some similar shows for you to watch next.

Sharp Objects...

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is a British teen mystery drama series created by Poppy Cogan. Based on the 2017 young adult mystery crime novel of the same name by author Holly Jackson, the BBC and Netflix series is set five years after a murder-suicide in which a popular high-school girl was murdered by her boyfriend, who later killed himself, at least that’s what everyone believes in their town of Little Kilton. We follow the story of Pip Fitz-Amobi (Emma Myers), who is now a high school senior. She believes that there is more to this mystery than meets the eye, and that’s why she begins an investigation into the case, but if she is right and her boyfriend didn’t kill her, then there is a killer out there who could become a danger for Pip. So, if you like the mystery, drama, romance, and small-town vibes...

True crime is getting more and more entertaining by the day and I don’t if that’s a good thing or a bad one. We have another brilliant true crime drama series, Under the Bridge, created by Quinn Shephard. Based on a 2005 book of the same name by Rebecca Godfrey, the Hulu series is set in 1997 and it follows the murder case of a 14-year-old girl which we see through the eyes of local police officer Cam Bentland and the author Godfrey. Under the Bridge stars Lily Gladstone and Riley Keough in the lead roles with Virtika Gupta, Chloe Guidry, Javon “Wanna” Walton, and Izzy G starring in supporting roles. So, if you love the thrilling and dreadful story of Under the Bridge, here are some other shows that have similar tone and story elements that you should check out next.

Under the Banner of Heaven (Hulu) Credit – FX...

My Wife and Kids had a strong debut on Netflix, ranking 7th in Top 10 TV shows in the U.S. The sitcom aired on ABC from 2001 to 2005. In 2005, the show was likely cancelled due to declining ratings as ABC officials felt it had "played itself out."

After premiering over two decades ago, My Wife and Kids has been climbing the charts on Netflix. Airing on ABC from 2001 to 2005, by co-creators Damon Wayans and Don Reo, My Wife and Kids focuses on the quest of Michael Kyle (Wayans) for the perfect traditional family — though his wife and kids have other ideas. The sitcom ran for 5 seasons and 123 episodes, with the My Wife and Kids cast that also included Tisha Campbell-Martin, George O. Gore II, Jazz Raycole, Parker McKenna Posey, Jennifer Nicole Freeman, Noah Gray-Cabey, and Brooklyn Sudano.

Though it's been off the air for almost twenty years, My Wife and Kids...

Freeform will not be moving forward with new seasons of “Cruel Summer” and “Good Trouble,” Variety has confirmed.

An anthology series, Season 2 of of “Cruel Summer” followed the rise and fall of an intense teenage friendship. “Approaching the story from three different timelines surrounding Y2K, the season twists and turns as it tracks the early friendship between Megan, Isabella and Megan’s best friend Luke, the love triangle that blossomed, and the mystery that would impact all of their lives going forward,” reads the official description.

After making waves with its explosive first season (which averaged multiplatform+35 viewership of 6.8 million viewers per episode) that quickly became the network’s most-watched series ever, Freeform followed up the performance with a fast Season 2 renewal in 2021 — a move Freeform president Tara Duncan called an “easy decision” at the time.

Variety previously reported on creator Bert V. Royal’s exit from “Cruel Summer...

There are a few documentarians who dabble in feature filmmaking: R.J. Cutler (“If I Stay”), Matt Heineman (“A Private War”), even Werner Herzog (there are many). To their ranks we can now add Oscar-winner Roger Ross Williams (“Music By Prudence”), and he’s all in on making it work.

At Telluride, Williams screened his well-reviewed Sundance feature “Cassandro”; saw the world premiere of “Stamped from the Beginning” at the Toronto International Film Festival; and Apple TV+ will air his four-part docuseries “The Super Models” September 20.

It’s an eclectic and vibrant collection of work and none of it was straightforward or easy. “Cassandro” is based on the true story of Luchador Saúl Armendáriz (Gael García Bernal in a career-best performance) who finds his true identity as the cross-dressing El Exotico on the Mexico wrestling circuit. Williams met his subject on the Amazon documentary short “The Man Without a Mask” (2016).

“I knew that story inside out,...

Polygram Entertainment, the film and television division of Universal Music Group, has announced that Daniel Inkeles will become the new senior vice president of film and television development and production.

Prior to his promotion, Inkeles was the vice president of scripted film and television for Umg. In that role he served as executive producer of NBC’s musical comedy “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.” During the series’ two-season run, it was nominated for seven Emmys, winning one for Outstanding Choreography for Scripted Programming. Inkeles was also an executive producer for Alison Ellwood’s Critics Choice-winning documentary “The Go-Go’s,” which centered around the American rock band of the same name, as well as the 2019 film, “Billie,” James Erskine’s documentary about Billie Holiday.

Inkeles is based in Los Angeles and will report to David Blackman, the executive vice president and head of film and television development and production for Umg.

Also Read:

‘Louis Armstrong...

Love to Love You, Donna Summer is not just a documentary, it’s a hymn to the life and times of the indisputable queen of disco. The film conveys Donna Summer’s journey from the gospel churches of Boston to the dance floors that defined an era. Directed by first-time helmer and Summer’s daughter Brooklyn Sudano and Roger Ross Williams, Love to Love You weaves together interviews, footage and the singer’s infectious music to deliver a new perspective on the life of a vocal powerhouse. As part of the Deadline FYC House + HBO Max Event series, we spoke with Sudano, Williams and producer David Blackman on the red carpet at the New York premiere.

“I think it’s important to see somebody’s life in full and to really understand that my mom was much more than just the disco queen title,” said Sudano.

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Donna Summer is to this day considered the Queen of Disco thanks to her chart-topping hits throughout the 1970s, famous for her commanding stage presence, dramatic makeup and voluptuous curls. But a new documentary “Love to Love You, Donna Summer,” released on HBO Max on May 22, pulls back the glamorous mask that the singer hid behind throughout her fame to reveal her most intimate moments.

The film, co-directed by filmmaker Roger Ross Williams and Brooklyn Sudano (Summer’s daughter), pulls together home movies and archival footage from Summer’s life in order to tell a captivating story about her rise to fame and the internal troubles she consistently went back to when she left the stage. Clips from her performances — in which she effortlessly shimmies to songs like “On...

This weekend, Donna Summer’s trailblazing career and complicated life gets the documentary treatment with HBO’s Love to Love You, Donna Summer. Summer’s daughter Brooklyn Sudano and the film’s co-director Oscar winner Roger Ross Williams examine the disco icon’s life and offer an intimate portrait of a private, almost secretive woman, whose relationship to fame, the people who knew her and even her own self remained complicated until she died of lung dancer at age 63.

Archival interviews with Summer and never-before-scene footage shape much of the documentary,...

If history holds that the voice of Grace Slick, lead singer of Jefferson Airplane, launched a thousand acid trips, let the record chronicle that the voice of Donna Summer launched a thousand orgasms. Probably more.

Summer, sex goddess of the 1970s, seemed to practically have a few orgasms of her own while crooning through seminal disco tracks such as “Bad Girl,” “I Feel Love,” “On the Radio,” and many more. HBO’s new documentary biopic Love to Love You, Donna Summer borrows its title from one of Summer’s biggest hits, and aims to lift the glare of colored gels and disco balls to spotlight the complicated woman beyond the persona.

“I’m trying to figure out the many pieces of who mom was,” Summer’s daughter, co-director Brooklyn Sudano, says early in the film. “She was complicated.” The statement echoes one oft made by Summer herself: “What you see is not who I am.

The trailer for Freeform’s Cruel Summer teases the new murder at the heart of season two. It also introduces the teenagers who pledge to be ride-or-die friends…even when the “die” portion of the equation might actually turn out to be taken literally.

Season one starred Olivia Holt, Chiara Aurelia, Michael Landes, Froy Gutierrez, Harley Quinn Smith, Allius Barnes, Blake Lee, and Brooklyn Sudano. Sadie Stanley, Lexi Underwood, Griffin Gluck, KaDee Strickland, Lisa Yamada, and Sean Blakemore star in season two, with Paul Adelstein and Braeden De La Garza appearing in recurring roles.

The anthology series was created by Bert V. Royal, and Elle Triedman serves as showrunner. Triedman, Bill Purple, Tia Napolitano, and Iron Ocean Productions’ Jessica Biel and Michelle Purple serve as executive producers.

The first season debuted in April 2021 and wrapped up in June 2021. Season two will premiere on June 5, 2023 at 9pm Et/Pt with the...

"There's too much fire in me..." HBO has revealed an official trailer for a music biopic documentary titled Love to Love You, Donna Summer, arriving for streaming and viewing this May. The film premiered at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival, and also stopped by SXSW, Cph:dox, Hot Docs, Iff Boston. Love to Love You, Donna Summer is a deeply personal portrait of the Queen of Disco. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Roger Ross Williams, along with Brooklyn Sudano, daughter of Donna Summer, the documentary explores the highs & lows of fame, offering an intimate glimpse at the artist’s life on and off stage. The film pulsates with the beats and significance of Summer's music, including her early hits with Giorgio Moroder, which invoked a sexuality that became a hallmark of Summer's wildly popular stage persona at the time; and "She Works Hard for The Money," which paid tribute to the working woman...

HBO Original documentary Love To Love You, Donna Summer, directed by Oscar® and Emmy®-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams and Brooklyn Sudano, daughter of Donna Summer, debuts Saturday, May 20 (8:00-10:00 p.m. Et/Pt) on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max. The documentary had its international premiere at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival and its domestic premiere at SXSW.

Synopsis: Shaped by Summer’s own reflections, the memories of close family, friends and colleagues, and filled with the sounds of Summer’s songs, Love To Love You, Donna Summer is an in-depth look at the iconic artist as she creates music that takes her from the avant-garde music scene in Germany, to the glitter and bright lights of dance clubs in New York, to worldwide acclaim, her voice becoming the defining soundtrack of an era. A deeply personal portrait of Summer on and off the stage,...

The late Queen of Disco Donna Summer is the subject of a new HBO documentary called Love to Love You, Donna Summer, which has now received its official trailer. Watch it below.

Filled with Summer’s own music — including early hits made with Giorgio Moroder — and the memories of family, friends, and fellow musicians, Love to Love You was directed by Roger Ross Williams and Summer’s daughter Brooklyn Sudano.

The docufilm takes an in-depth look at the singer’s rise from the avant-garde music scene in Germany to dance clubs in New York City and worldwide acclaim. Going behind the screens with Summer on and off the stage, it also includes photographs and never before seen video footage, much of which was shot by Summer herself.

Best known for hits like “Last Dance,” “She Works Hard for the Money,” and “I Feel Love,” Summer was the first Black female...

The late Queen of Disco Donna Summer is the subject of a new HBO documentary called Love to Love You, Donna Summer, which has now received its official trailer. Watch it below.

Filled with Summer’s own music — including early hits made with Giorgio Moroder — and the memories of family, friends, and fellow musicians, Love to Love You was directed by Roger Ross Williams and Summer’s daughter Brooklyn Sudano.

The docufilm takes an in-depth look at the singer’s rise from the avant-garde music scene in Germany to dance clubs in New York City and worldwide acclaim. Going behind the screens with Summer on and off the stage, it also includes photographs and never before seen video footage, much of which was shot by Summer herself.

Best known for hits like “Last Dance,” “She Works Hard for the Money,” and “I Feel Love,” Summer was the first Black female...

Exclusive: Docaviv, the prestigious all-documentary film festival in Tel Aviv, today announced the International Competition lineup for the 25th anniversary of the event, which takes place May 11-20.

In competition are some of the early favorites for Oscar recognition, including Apolonia, Apolonia, winner of Best Feature at IDFA; 20 Days in Mariupol, the harrowing examination of the siege of the Ukrainian port city in the early days of the Russian invasion; Kokomo City, winner of two awards at Sundance, and The Eternal Memory, winner of the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema Documentary at Sundance [scroll for the full International Competition lineup].

Docaviv is an Oscar-qualifying festival, with winners in the International, Israeli, and Shorts competitions automatically becoming eligible for Academy Awards consideration. It is the only all-documentary festival in Israel and widely considered one of the world’s foremost nonfiction film events.

Some of the expected international guests include Emmy-winning documentary producer John Battsek, who will hold...

Vulture Watch

What really happened to Kate? Has the Cruel Summer TV show been cancelled or renewed for a second season on Freeform? The television vulture is watching all the latest cancellation and renewal news, so this page is the place to track the status of Cruel Summer, season two. Bookmark it, or subscribe for the latest updates. Remember, the television vulture is watching your shows. Are you?  

What's This TV Show About?

Airing on the Freeform cable channel, the Cruel Summer TV show stars Olivia Holt, Chiara Aurelia, Michael Landes, Froy Gutierrez, Harley Quinn Smith, Allius Barnes, Blake Lee, and Brooklyn Sudano. The story follows two young women. Kate Wallis (Holt) is a popular girl with a charmed life who one day goes missing without a trace. Jeanette Turner (Aurelia) is the nerdy wannabe who is accused of being connected to Kate's...

Lexi Underwood, Sadie Stanley, Griffin Gluck, Lisa Yamada, KaDee Strickland, and Sean Blakemore in ‘Cruel Summer’ (Freeform/Frank Ockenfels)

It’s taken two years, but Freeform’s finally set a premiere date for the second season of Cruel Summer. Season one of the coming-of-age anthology series debuted in April 2021 and wrapped up in June 2021. Season two will launch on June 5, 2023.

The second season will kick off with the release of the first two episodes at 9pm Et/Pt. Additional new season two episodes will air on Mondays at 10pm Et/Pt.

The first season starred Olivia Holt, Chiara Aurelia, Michael Landes, Froy Gutierrez, Harley Quinn Smith, Allius Barnes, Blake Lee, and Brooklyn Sudano. Sadie Stanley, Lexi Underwood, Griffin Gluck, KaDee Strickland, Lisa Yamada, and Sean Blakemore star in season two, with Paul Adelstein and Braeden De La Garza appearing in recurring roles.

Bert V. Royal created the series, and Elle Triedman...

Oscar winner and Academy member Roger Ross Williams is saying publicly what many in the documentary community have stewed over privately – that the sums of money being spent on Oscar documentary campaigns has “gotten insane.” And Williams, a former Academy Governor representing the Doc Branch, says something may be done about it.

“We in the Academy, in the Doc Branch, have a campaign finance reform committee… to sort of try to work through that and figure out solutions to that. It’s gotten insane. It’s gazillions of dollars to get seen and heard,” he said, “and that’s so troubling because it should be on the merit of the films.”

Director Roger Ross Williams (rt) and Thom Powers converse at Cph:dox in Copenhagen, Wednesday, March 22, 2023

His remarks, less than two weeks after the Academy Awards, came in a discussion with documentary programmer and Pure Nonfiction podcaster Thom Powers at Cph:dox in Copenhagen.

During a talk at Copenhagen’s Cph:dox on Wednesday, Oscar-winning director Roger Ross Williams spoke about a wide variety of topics, including his latest documentary, “Love to Love You, Donna Summer,” how insanely expensive it is to garner a doc Oscar nomination, and why the racial reckoning that occurred in the nonfiction community after George Floyd’s murder is over.

Despite celebrity-driven docs being all the rage, Williams admitted that he usually rejects them.

“I have so many celebrities who come to me about making a documentary (about their life),” the helmer told moderator Thom Powers. “It’s never worked out because if they are a living celebrity, who is very popular, they are all about control. It’s a piece of propaganda about their image and their career. It’s not a documentary.”

But when it came to making a docu about Summer, who passed away in 2012, Williams didn...

When Cph:dox shifted from a fall festival to a spring-based fest in 2017, it got out of IDFA’s shadow and grew into one of the most influential documentary events of the year.

“It made a big jump in prominence when it moved to March because it fit into the calendar in a more exciting way for a lot of documentary stakeholders,” Thom Powers, lead documentary programmer for Toronto Film Festival, says. “It became a great place for films coming out of Sundance to have a European launch. It’s also become a very significant place for films to make world premieres near the beginning of the year, which can then send them on a circuit, traveling to other festivals like Hot Docs or Doc NYC.”

Now in its 20th year, Cph:dox is among the largest documentary film festivals in the world. This year’s lineup includes 200 docus, more than half...

Sometimes, when a documentary has a great subject, it can explore that subject with an intimacy that’s arresting, only to treat other aspects of the story with a kind of cavalier casualness. “Love to Love You Donna Summer” is that kind of documentary. Co-directed by Roger Ross Williams and Brooklyn Sudano (who is Summer’s daughter), it’s full of home movies and photographs and archival footage of Donna Summer, and it creates an eye-opening portrait of the ambitious yet deeply disconsolate woman she was. We see her when she was growing up in Boston, where she sang gospel in church and felt a gift passing through her, knowing that she was going to be famous, or when she moved to Munich in 1968, at 19, to be in the German production of “Hair”, or later on, after she’d become a pop star, at home with her daughters, lost in the empty mirror of fame.

HBO Max today announced its in-person activation and presence at SXSW 2023 with the Coffeehouse, a premier and inclusive destination for SXSW attendees to access exclusive content from across the HBO and HBO Max portfolio.

Leveraging the cultural significance of the coffee house as a space for multicultural and counterculture communities to meet, discuss culture and exchange ideas, HBO Max is bringing the power of representation and storytelling to the forefront of the 2023 SXSW narrative.

The two-day activation is powered by HBO Max’s Human By Orientation and Pa’lante! multicultural marketing initiatives designed to elevate and celebrate the Lgbtqia+ and Latinx communities. Coffeehouse will serve as a safe space for all-day programming, finding community, and freely inhabiting Queer and Latinx identities.

Featuring various invite-only and public events, there will be discussions with appearances by some of the most influential storytellers and talent, the Coffeehouse celebrates diverse storytelling showcasing the ways...

HBO Max will host its own coffeehouse at SXSW this year, featuring events centered around the streamer’s popular titles like “The Last of Us” and “The White Lotus.”

The two-day activation is presented by HBO Max’s Human by Orientation and Pa’lante initiatives, which are designed to “elevate and celebrate the Lgbtqia+ and Latinx communities,” according to a press release. The coffeehouse will be open to the public on March 11 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on March 12 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The coffeehouse will host both invite-only and public events, including a HBO documentary filmmaker roundtable, “The Last of Us” fireside chat with Gabriel Luna and Variety‘s Selome Hailu, an acoustic performance by Ambar Lucid, a queer cocktail party and “The White Lotus” discussion with writer Evan Ross Katz and Variety‘s Adam B. Vary.

“We are excited to bring the HBO Max Coffeehouse to SXSW this year,...

Donna Summer could hit notes more thrillingly beautiful than any other pop singer of her time, or since. I’m not sure even Whitney Houston, as great as she was, quite reached the glistening heights that culminate “Last Dance” (though she comes very close in “I Will Always Love You”). Mariah Carey (no relation to me) performs impressive vocal acrobatics, yet to my ear she can’t match the bell-like shimmer of Donna in the higher registers. And Donna in the lower registers – well, the voice thrums with visceral resonance.

Related Story Berlin: ‘Love To Love You, Donna Summer,’ From Roger Ross Williams & Summer’s Daughter, Brooklyn Sudano, Provides Complex Portrait Of Pop Superstar Related Story Rutina Wesley On Playing Maria In 'The Last Of Us': "It's Terrifying Playing A Character That's Been Established" Related Story Berlin Review: Giacomo Abbruzzese's 'Disco Boy'

In the documentary Love to Love You,...

The documentary Love to Love You, Donna Summer, about one of the world’s greatest pop stars, constitutes a kind of duet – between two filmmakers. The film, making its world premiere in Berlin, comes from directors Roger Ross Williams and Brooklyn Sudano, daughter of the subject of the film, the legendary Donna Summer.

Related Story Berlin Review: ‘Love To Love You, Donna Summer’ Offers Moving Portrait Of Brilliant Singer Who Struggled With Fame And Faith Related Story Rutina Wesley On Playing Maria In 'The Last Of Us': "It's Terrifying Playing A Character That's Been Established" Related Story Berlin Review: Giacomo Abbruzzese's 'Disco Boy'

“I was such a huge, massive fan of Donna’s and nothing made me feel the way she made me feel on the dance floor,” Williams, the Oscar-winning director of Music By Prudence, tells Deadine. “I thought, I want to make a music documentary.

The risk when an immediate family member is involved in a tribute to an important figure from the pop-culture firmament is that the story they choose to tell might not be the one fans want to hear. That’s an issue — at least for this erstwhile disco baby — with HBO’s Love to Love You, Donna Summer. Directed by Roger Ross Williams with Summer’s daughter, Brooklyn Sudano, the doc is stuffed with great archive material. But it largely squanders an ideal platform through which to reaffirm the subject’s vital place in pop music history and reclaim disco as a genre whose influence has never waned.

Some of that is kinda, sorta here, but it’s so faint it’s almost apologetic. We’re constantly reminded that Summer was ambivalent about being crowned the Queen of Disco, because she felt it marginalized her vocal gifts for gospel, R&b and soul,...

Photograph by Courtesy of HBO HBO Original documentary Love To Love You, Donna Summer, directed by Oscar® and Emmy®-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams and Brooklyn Sudano, daughter of Donna Summer, debuts May 2023 on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max. Shaped by Summer’s own reflections, the memories of close family, friends and colleagues, and filled with the sounds of Summer’s songs, Love To Love You, Donna Summer is an in-depth look at the iconic artist as she creates music that takes her from the avant-garde music scene in Germany, to the glitter and bright lights of dance clubs in New York, to worldwide acclaim, her voice and artistry becoming the defining soundtrack of an era. A deeply personal portrait of Summer on and off the stage, the film features a wealth of photographs and never-before-seen home video footage – often shot by Summer herself – and...

A new Donna Summer documentary, co-directed by the disco icon’s daughter, Brooklyn Sudano, will premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival this month before arriving on HBO in May.

Sudano co-directed Love to Love You, Donna Summer, with Oscar-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams. The film will chronicle Summer’s unique career — from a star of the avant-garde art, music, and theater scene in Germany to an era-defining global superstar — while also digging into her personal life, her music-making process, and other artistic endeavors like painting. Summer died in 2012, at...

HBO Original documentary Love To Love You, Donna Summer, directed by Oscar® and Emmy®-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams and Brooklyn Sudano, daughter of Donna Summer, debuts May 2023 on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

Synopsis: Shaped by Summer’s own reflections, the memories of close family, friends and colleagues, and filled with the sounds of Summer’s songs, Love To Love You, Donna Summer is an in-depth look at the iconic artist as she creates music that takes her from the avant-garde music scene in Germany, to the glitter and bright lights of dance clubs in New York, to worldwide acclaim, her voice and artistry becoming the defining soundtrack of an era. A deeply personal portrait of Summer on and off the stage, the film features a wealth of photographs and never-before-seen home video footage – often shot by Summer herself – and provides a rich window...

Festival runs in Austin, Texas, from March 10-19.

Emma Seligman’s Shiva Baby follow-up Bottoms and Jon S. Baird’s Tetris starring Taron Egerton are among the second wave of SXSW unveiled on Wednesday.

Festival organisers announced all selections in Visions, Global presented by Mubi, 24 Beats, and Festival Favorites as well as additions to Headliners, TV Premieres, Narrative and Documentary Spotlight.

New to Headliners are world premieres of Emma Seligman’s Shiva Baby follow-up Bottoms which follows two unpopular queer high school students who start a fight club to have sex before graduation; and Jon S. Baird’s Tetris starring...

Festival to also honour French cinematographer Caroline Champetier with honorary Berlinale Camera.

The Berlinale has added the world premiere of documentary Love To Love You, Donna Summer and a tribute to a century of Disney animation to its upcoming 73rd edition.

The additions complete the lineup for the Berlinale Special sidebar at the festival, set to run February 16-26.

Love To Love You, Donna Summer is co-directed by Roger Ross Williams, Oscar nominated in 2016 for Life, Animated, and US actress Brooklyn Sudano, who is the daughter of Summer and makes her directorial debut with the film.

The documentary will explore...

The 2023 Berlin International Film Festival will honor French cinematographer Caroline Champetier with a Berlinale Camera award for lifetime achievement.

Champetier, who has lensed groundbreaking work for such directors as François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Leos Carax, Claude Lanzmann and Margarethe von Trotta, will be presented with the award at this year’s Berlinale on Feb. 23.

The veteran French cinematographer has sat behind the camera on more than 100 feature films and numerous shorts, from the start of her career in the early 1980s with Chantal Akerman’s Toute une nuit (1982) and Jacques Rivette’s Le Pont du Nord (1981), through such acclaimed films as Xavier Beauvois’ Of Gods and Men (2011), as well as von Trotta’s Hannah Arendt (2012) and Carax’s Holy Motors (2012) and Annette (2021).

Holy Motors won Champetier the Silver Frog at the 2012 Camerimage festival, which celebrates cinematographers, and she has received five César nominations, winning once for Of Gods and Men.

Berlinale Adds Disney Tribute Film, Donna Summer Docs To Line-Up

The Berlinale has added Love to Love You, Donna Summer and 100 Years of Disney Animation – A Shorts Celebration to its 73rd edition line-up running February 16-26. Both titles will screen in the Berlinale Special sidebar. Co-directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams and Brooklyn Sudano’s the Donna Summer film tells the story of the disco star through unpublished film extracts, home video, photographs, artwork, writings, personal audio and other recording. Academy Award winner and Walt Disney Animation Studios President Clark Spencer fronts the Disney film, sharing his favorite shorts from the studios’ 100 years of filmmaking. In other news, the festival has announced it will pay tribute to French cinematographer Caroline Champetier with its Berlinale Camera 2023 award. She has chosen Anne Fontaine’s The Innocents, on which she did the cinematography, for a screening as part of Berlinale Special program.

“Love to Love You, Donna Summer,” a docu biopic of the iconic disco singer, has been added to the lineup of Berlinale Special.

Directed by Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Roger Ross Williams (“Music by Prudence”) and Brooklyn Sudano, the film weaves rich archive of unpublished extracts, home video, photographs, artwork, writings, personal audio and other recordings spanning Summer’s life.

Also joining the Berlinale Special roster is “100 Years of Disney Animation – a Shorts Celebration,” which sees Clark Spencer, the Oscar-winning Walt Disney Animation Studios president, sharing his favorite shorts. Among them are rare gems from the earliest days of animation, from the introduction of sound to Mickey Mouse.

The 73rd edition of the Berlin Film Festival will also pay tribute to renowned cinematographer Caroline Champetier who will receive the Berlinale Camera Award. The prize was created in 1986 to honor personalities and institutions who have made a special contribution to filmmaking.

“With her extraordinary body of work,...

A few years ago, as filmmaker Roger Ross Williams contemplated founding his own production company, he experienced a Field of Dreams kind of vision: “If you build it, they will come.”

The revelation took place far from the Iowa cornfields of the movie. “I was actually walking by this big, empty office space in Brooklyn,” Williams recalled, “and I thought, ‘Wow, that’s a great office space. I should rent it to start my company.’ I thought that renting the office space would force me to fill it.” Fill it he did, first with edit bays, then with staff. One Story Up has become a thriving enterprise and one of the industry’s few African American-owned production companies. The company name doesn’t refer to a physical location, but to an idea.

“I loved the word ‘story’ being in the name and lifting ‘up’. The two things: lifting up filmmakers of color and telling stories,...

Freeform’s “Cruel Summer” will return later this year with a new mystery and cast. The second season, executive produced by Jessica Biel and Michelle Purple and eOne, has added Sadie Stanley, Griffin Gluck and Eloise Payet. In June, the thriller was renewed for a second season at Freeform after becoming the network’s most-watched series in network history.

The official Season 2 synopsis reads, “Set in an idyllic waterfront town in the Pacific Northwest, the next chapter of ‘Cruel Summer’ follows the rise and fall of an intense teenage friendship. Approaching the story from three different timelines surrounding Y2K, the season twists and turns as it tracks the early friendship between Megan, Isabella and Megan’s best friend Luke, the love triangle that blossomed, and the mystery that would impact all of their lives going forward.”

Stanley will play Megan Landry, a computer coder and honor student who starts...

When Cruel Summer Season 2 returns to Freeform for Season 2, it will have a new cast, story, and leadership.

The cabler today confirmed the series returns as an anthology with a fresh mystery and cast.

Executive produced by Emmy® Award nominee Jessica Biel and Michelle Purple through Iron Ocean Productions and from studio eOne, Cruel Summer Season 1 was a critical and ratings smash, making it Freeform’s most-watched series in network history.

As for what Cruel Summer Season 2 will be about, we have some intel.

"Set in an idyllic waterfront town in the Pacific Northwest, the next chapter of Cruel Summer follows the rise and fall of an intense teenage friendship," according to the logline.

"Approaching the story from three different timelines surrounding Y2K, the season twists and turns as it tracks the early friendship between Megan, Isabella and Megan’s best friend Luke, the love triangle that blossomed, and...

Exclusive: Polygram Entertainment, the film and television arm of Universal Music Group, is embarking on a feature documentary about iconic singer Donna Summer, with some of the biggest names in nonfiction attached to the project.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams will direct Donna, alongside Summer’s daughter, Brooklyn Sudano. Williams is producing with Oscar nominee Julie Goldman, Emmy winners Carolyn Hepburn and Christopher Clements, and Polygram chief David Blackman.

Donna marks the latest in an ambitious slate of films and series from Polygram Entertainment, leveraging the artists and catalogues of Umg. Polygram’s recent documentaries include Oscar contender The Velvet Underground, Emmy-winner The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, and The Apollo, the winner of the 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Documentary Special that was directed by Williams and on which Goldman served as an executive producer.

“We had been involved in The Apollo documentary with Roger,...

The creator of Cruel Summer is stepping away.

Per Deadline, Bert V. Royal is no longer involved in the young-skewing drama.

Royal is said to have left after the pilot amid disagreements with a Freeform exec.

No details have been revealed beyond that, but it's unclear whether the disagreements were about the show's creative vision.

In the entertainment industry, creative differences are not uncommon.

Cruel Summer is a psychological thriller that follows two young women: Kate Wallis, the popular girl with a charmed life who one day goes missing, and Jeanette Turner, the nerdy wannabe who is accused of being connected to Kate's disappearance.

All signs point to Jeanette's guilt, but is Kate really who she seems to be?

Set over three summers and told through shifting points of view, the series challenges perception and follows how one girl can go from being a sweet outlier to the most despised person in America.

Bert V. Royal, creator of Freeform’s Cruel Summer, has exited the YA drama.

The Disney-owned youth-skewing network has confirmed that Royal is no longer involved in the Jessica Biel-exec produced show. It’s understood that he left after the pilot with reports suggesting that it came after disagreements with a network exec.

News of Royal’s exit comes less than a month after Freeform handed Cruel Summer a Season 2 renewal.

Created by Royal, Cruel Summer is a psychological thriller that follows two young women: Kate Wallis (Olivia Holt), the popular girl with a charmed life who one day goes missing, and Jeanette Turner (Chiara Aurelia), the nerdy wannabe who is accused of being connected to Kate’s disappearance. All signs point to Jeanette’s guilt, but is Kate really who she seems to be? Set over three summers and told through shifting points of view, the series challenges...

“Cruel Summer” creator Bert V. Royal is no longer affiliated with the series, Variety has confirmed.

According to sources, Royal departed the series after the pilot finished filming last year due to creative differences. He was still credited as the creator and executive producer for Season 1 of the hit drama, but it is unclear what his credit will be on Season 2 at this time. Tia Napolitano remains onboard the series as executive producer and showrunner.

“Cruel Summer” received a second season order back in June. Starring Olivia Holt, Chiara Aurelia, Michael Landes, Froy Gutierrez, Harley Quinn Smith, Allius Barnes, Blake Lee and Brooklyn Sudano, the series centers on the story of two young women across three summers — the popular Kate Wallis, who mysteriously goes missing, and the nerdy Jeanette Turner, who is accused of being connected to Kate’s disappearance. “Cruel Summer” is produced by eOne. Napolitano executive produces alongside...

Freeform has very few scripted series on its schedule these days. Does that increase this new show's chances of a renewal? How good will the ratings have to be for the Cruel Summer series to survive? Will it be cancelled or renewed for season two? Stay tuned. *Status Update Below.

A psychological mystery series, the Cruel Summer TV show stars Olivia Holt, Chiara Aurelia, Michael Landes, Froy Gutierrez, Harley Quinn Smith, Allius Barnes, Blake Lee, and Brooklyn Sudano. The story follows two young women. Kate Wallis (Holt) is a popular girl with a charmed life who one day goes missing without a trace. Jeanette Turner (Aurelia) is the nerdy wannabe who is accused of being connected to Kate's disappearance. All signs point to Jeanette's guilt, but is Kate really who she seems to be? Set over three summers in the...

Who is the truly guilty party in the first season of the Cruel Summer TV show on Freeform? As we all know, the Nielsen ratings typically play a big role in determining whether a TV show like Cruel Summer is cancelled or renewed for season two. Unfortunately, most of us do not live in Nielsen households. Because many viewers feel frustrated when their viewing habits and opinions aren't considered, we invite you to rate all of the first season episodes of Cruel Summer here.  *Status Update Below.

A Freeform psychological mystery series, the Cruel Summer TV show stars Olivia Holt, Chiara Aurelia, Michael Landes, Froy Gutierrez, Harley Quinn Smith, Allius Barnes, Blake Lee, and Brooklyn Sudano. The story follows two young women. Kate Wallis (Holt) is a popular girl with a charmed life who one day goes missing without a trace. Jeanette Turner (Aurelia)...

The mysteries of Cruel Summer are going to continue -- in some form. Freeform has renewed the TV series for a second season but it's unclear if season two will feature the same cast and characters or if viewers will see something new.

A psychological thriller, the first season of Cruel Summer TV show stars Olivia Holt, Chiara Aurelia, Michael Landes, Froy Gutierrez, Harley Quinn Smith, Allius Barnes, Blake Lee, and Brooklyn Sudano. The story follows two young women. Kate Wallis (Holt) is a popular girl with a charmed life who one day goes missing without a trace. Jeanette Turner (Aurelia) is the nerdy wannabe who is accused of being connected to Kate's disappearance. All signs point to Jeanette's guilt, but is Kate really who she seems to be? Set over three summers in the 1990s and told through...

Kate and Jeannette's worlds will continue to collide.

Freeform announced Tuesday that it had picked up a sophomore season of Cruel Summer.

“Renewing Cruel Summer for a Season 2 was an easy decision,” Freeform President Tara Duncan said in a statement.

“It’s the biggest series debut in Freeform’s history and the audience response has been overwhelmingly positive. [Executive producers] Jessica [Biel], Michelle [Purple] and [showrunner] Tia [Napolitano] did a phenomenal job telling an addictive story that’s tapped into the cultural zeitgeist."

"I’m excited to see where they take the series next.”

Added Napolitano: “Collaborating with Iron Ocean, our dedicated crew, charismatic cast, and our partners at Freeform and eOne has been the best first showrunning experience I could ask for."

"I am beyond grateful and excited by the amazing fan response to our show! Continuing to bottle Cruel Summer magic for a Season 2 is an absolute dream come true.”

Cruel Summer is a...