"Defying Gravity" is a song from the musical Wicked, composed by Stephen Schwartz. It was originally recorded on November 10, 2003, by American actresses Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who portrayed Elphaba and Glinda in the musical respectively. The song was released as part of the accompanying cast recording on December 16, 2003. It is mostly a solo sung by the main character of the show, Elphaba, with two small duets at the beginning and the middle of the song between Elphaba and her friend Glinda, and a chorus part at the end in which the citizens of Oz sing.
"The Wizard and I" is a musical number from the hit musical Wicked. It is primarily a solo number for the character of Elphaba, serving as her "I Want" song, though the character Madame Morrible also sings in the introduction to the song.
Jonathan Murray Chu is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter.
Cynthia Chinasaokwu Onyedinmanasu Erivo is a British actress and singer. She has received several accolades, including a Daytime Emmy Award, a Grammy Award and a Tony Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. She is one of only a few artists to have received nominations for the EGOT.
Harris Dickinson is an English actor. He began his career in British television and had his first starring role in the drama film Beach Rats (2017), for which he was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. He played John Paul Getty III in the FX drama series Trust (2018).
Wicked is a 2024 American musical fantasy film directed by Jon M. Chu and written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox. It is the first installment of a two-part film adaptation of the stage musical of the same name by Stephen Schwartz and Holzman, which is loosely based on the 1995 novel, in turn based on the Oz books and the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
Freedom of Expression Award is an annual award given by the National Board of Review since 1995.
Yuri Alexandrovich "Yura" Borisov is a Russian actor. He was the winner of the Golden Eagle Award in 2021. GQ Russia chose him as Actor of the Year in 2020.
Wicked: For Good is an upcoming American musical fantasy film directed by Jon M. Chu and written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox. The sequel to Wicked (2024), it is the second installment of a two-part film adaptation of the stage musical of the same name by Stephen Schwartz and Holzman, which is loosely based on the 1995 novel, in turn based on the Oz books and the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. The film stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, with Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum rounding out the principal cast.
His Three Daughters is a 2023 American drama film written and directed by Azazel Jacobs. The film stars Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne and Elizabeth Olsen as three estranged sisters who come back together to care for their ailing father. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2023, and was released in select theaters in the United States on September 6, 2024, before its streaming debut by Netflix on September 20, 2024. It received positive reviews and was named one of the Top Ten Independent Films of 2024 by the National Board of Review.
Anora is a 2024 American comedy-drama film written, directed, and edited by Sean Baker. It follows the beleaguered marriage between Anora, a young sex worker, and Vanya Zakharov, the son of a Russian oligarch. The supporting cast includes Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, and Aleksei Serebryakov.
Babygirl is a 2024 American erotic thriller film written, directed, and produced by Halina Reijn. The film stars Nicole Kidman as a high-powered CEO who puts her career and family on the line when she begins an affair with a much younger intern. Sophie Wilde and Antonio Banderas also star.
Sugarcane is a 2024 documentary film, directed by Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie and produced by Emily Kassie and Kellen Quinn. It follows an investigation into the Canadian Indian residential school system, igniting a reckoning in the lives of survivors and descendants.
Hard Truths is a 2024 drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh, starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Michele Austin, and David Webber. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September 2024. Hard Truths was theatrically released in the United States on 6 December 2024 by Bleecker Street, with a theatrical release date scheduled for 10 January 2025 in the United Kingdom and for 28 February 2025 in Spain. It received critical praise, with Jean-Baptiste receiving widespread acclaim for her performance, and was named one of the top 10 independent films of 2024 by the National Board of Review.
Wicked: The Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 2024 epic musical fantasy film Wicked by Jon M. Chu, the first of the two-part film adaptation of the stage musical of the same name by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman. It was released by Republic Records and Verve Records on November 22, 2024, the same date as the film's theatrical release in the United States. Along with the film cast, the soundtrack is billed to Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, the film's two main stars, who each appear on seven tracks out of eleven on the standard release.
The 23rd San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards, honoring the best in film for 2024, were given on December 15, 2024. The nominations were announced on December 13, 2024, with The Brutalist leading the nominations with nine, followed by Conclave with seven and Anora with six.
The 36th Palm Springs International Film Festival is scheduled to take place from January 2 to 13, 2025, in Palm Springs, California, United States. The festival will open with Michael Gracey's biographic drama film Better Man and will close with Peter Cattaneo's comedy drama film The Penguin Lessons.
The 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival, is the 2025 edition of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, which will take place from February 4 to February 15, 2025, at Santa Barbara, California, United States.
