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While Fincher has been absent from filmmaking for the last six years, he’s released new material as the executive producer of Netflix’s original series “Mindhunter” and the director of several episodes of the show. “Mank” is the latest collaboration between Fincher and the streaming giant following not only “Mindhunter” but also “Love, Death & Robots” (the animated anthology he produces) and “House of Cards.” Leading “Mank” in the role of Herman J....

“Mank” is a lot to take in. Diehard fans of classic Hollywood cinema and “Citizen Kane” obsessives alike may be well-suited to parse David Fincher’s complex portrait of world-weary screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz, but even then, this intricate black-and-white drama draws on a lot of reference points that a many audience members may not grasp the first time around. The movie tracks two dueling narratives: Mank’s experiences in Hollywood throughout the ’30s, as he undergoes a falling out with Hollywood and studio moguls over their politics, and his decision to use his experiences in that world to write his greatest work — inspired by his former proximity to media tycoon William Randolph Hearst, who became the template for the affluent mystery at the center of “Citizen Kane....

So Fincher and Messerschmidt struck a balance between retro and modern, taking advantage of the director’s efficient digital workflow to approximate the look of a movie made around the time of “Kane” in 1940 yet “Photographed in Hi-Dynamic Range” (as the title card proclaims). “Filmmaking has always been a medium where we selectively employ the techniques that are available on the day,” Messerschmidt said. But shooting in black-and-white was a lot to unpack for the cinematographer, who had only done a few music videos and commercials outside of still photography and film school projects....

Jones will serve as IndieWire’s lead for TV awards coverage during the TV awards season including Emmys and the Winter TV awards. In the fall, he will turn his attention toward film awards and work closely with IndieWire’s veteran Editor-at-Large Anne Thompson, who leads film awards and strategy. Like Thompson, Jones is based in Los Angeles and will report to Editor in Chief Dana Harris-Bridson. He begins his new role at IndieWire April 18 and will immediately get to work covering the increasingly heated Emmys race, which is already frantic with FYC events in the first in-person season since the pandemic....

“Martha Marcy May Marlene” made back more than enough of its $600,000 budget after the Fox Searchlight acquisition, grossing $5.4 million during a fall 2011 run, while also garnering Olsen a number of film critics’ awards and nominations, and the film four Film Independent Spirit Award nominations. But it’s fascinating to look back at the sort of launchpad the movie proved to be, as it re-emerges in retrospect a veritable who’s-who of indie film, with plenty of then-fresh faces that are now arthouse-hold names — including Christopher Abbott, Brady Corbet, and John Hawkes....

There’s no word how many projects Scorsese will produce for Apple as part of the deal, which was first reported by Deadline and confirmed by IndieWire. But the move is just the latest showing that top directors and producers are finding streamers the most eager partners in realizing their expensive visions and further proof that Apple hopes to rise to the top of the pack within that paradigm. Scorsese was already working with Apple on his latest project, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which is currently in pre-production....

And while that sense of intimidation never dissipated completely Calamawy said both Isaac and co-star Ethan Hawke were thoroughly invested in making sure she felt comfortable and heard. “So many times Ethan would just laser focus on Layla, and be like, ‘This is what I want to see for her.’ I was just amazed and really touched that he’d spend 30 minutes just wanting to do that; he wouldn’t even talk about his character....