Independent filmmakers, journalists, and other industry professionals gathered at Genesis House on Thursday, December 11th for a launch party celebrating the Winter 2025 issue of Filmmaker Magazine.
Hooping into the Holidays! ESPN hosted Winter Season’s Swishes Holiday Portrait Studio at Bryant Park Winter Village on Sunday.
Christmas in New York City is always such a wonderful time—there’s truly nothing better than experiencing the season through intimate, thoughtfully curated moments. One of those moments came this December at the newly opened Hyatt Regency Times Square, which kicked off the holidays with a celebration that felt both festive and distinctly New York.
In Is This Thing On?, comedy isn’t just the punchline—it’s the entry point. Beneath the sharp dialogue and laugh out loud moments is a film quietly preoccupied with emotional honesty, miscommunication, and the ways we stall our own growth inside relationships. That tension between humor and heart is exactly what drew Laura Dern and Will Arnett to the project—and what stayed with them long after filming wrapped.
STARZ has secured the exclusive United States rights to The Nowhere Man, a six part drama series that signals a continued push by the network into globally rooted, action driven storytelling. The series stars Bonko Khoza of The Woman King and Naturi Naughton Lewis, known for her work across the Power franchise and Notorious.
The Nowhere Man will premiere on January 16, 2026, with new episodes streaming weekly on Fridays on the STARZ app and across all STARZ streaming and on demand platforms.
Set in Johannesburg, the series centers on Lukas, portrayed by Khoza, a former Special Forces mercenary haunted by post traumatic stress disorder. Having abandoned his past life of violence, Lukas survives on the margins of the city as a junk collector. His attempt at anonymity is shattered when he witnesses a violent home invasion and steps in to help. That single decision pulls him back into a world he believed he had escaped, forcing him to confront unresolved trauma and the dangerous secrets tied to his former life.
Landing The Nowhere Man is a meaningful move for STARZ as it continues to broaden its slate with stories that feel both global and grounded. The series shows the network leaning into international settings and fresh perspectives while still delivering the kind of intense, character driven action its audience expects. By filming in South Africa and centering a story that blends spectacle with emotional depth, STARZ is signaling that its next wave of originals is about expanding representation without losing mainstream appeal.
The project also marks a notable reunion between the network and Naturi Naughton Lewis, who serves as both a lead actress and an executive producer through her company, Take Two Entertainment. Alison Hoffman, President of STARZ Networks, emphasized the significance of that return in a statement praising Naughton Lewis as a performer audiences already know and trust. Hoffman described The Nowhere Man as a strong addition to the network’s action offerings and positioned it as a timely response to viewer demand for immersive, adrenaline fueled series.
For Naughton Lewis, the series represents a creative milestone. She has described the project as an evolution in her career and highlighted the importance of collaborating once again with the STARZ team to tell a story that is both action packed and globally relevant. Her involvement as a producer underscores a broader industry shift toward performers taking on greater creative control and shaping the narratives they bring to the screen.
The Nowhere Man joins a robust lineup of STARZ originals anchored in action and drama. The network is currently airing the third and final season of Power Book IV Force, with its series finale scheduled for January 16, and is also rolling out Spartacus House of Ashur, a new chapter in the long running Spartacus franchise with weekly Friday releases.
The series was created by Motion Story and produced by Phillip Wolmarans and Nick Keulemans. Direction was handled by Fred Wolmarans and Gareth Crocker, with Crocker also serving as showrunner. Executive producers include Chris Lawrance, Colleen Lawrance, Sean Mikael Butler, Naturi Naughton Lewis and Two Lewis.
With its international production, high profile cast, and timely themes of trauma, redemption, and violence, The Nowhere Man positions STARZ to further strengthen its identity as a home for bold, globally minded storytelling while offering audiences a new perspective within the action drama space.
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Hotel Croydon in South Beach and Jean Shafiroff teamed up for an annual Miami Art Week bash that was as colorful and fun as the artwork being showcased all over town.
The entire Regal Cinemas complex in Times Square was reserved for the New York premiere of “Marty Supreme” ahead of its Christmas Day release. The house was filled with press, guild members, special guests, and celebrities, (Zohran Mamdani, Jack Harlow, Sissy Spacek, Benny Safdie, Anna Wintour, and more) alongside 100 students personally invited by Chalamet from LaGuardia High School’s drama department. The energy was palpable, young artists seated among industry veterans, all waiting for the lights to dim.
In Avatar: Fire and Ash, director James Cameron returns us to the luminous, bioluminescent world of Pandora with a bold — and decidedly darker — chapter that builds on the emotional and mythic foundations of the earlier films. Clocking in at roughly 3 hours and 15 minutes, the film carries the weight and scope that its ambitious runtime promises.
The Knockturnal was invited to a holiday celebration centered on compassion, culture, and community, as hip-hop artists Cash Cobain and Bay Swag partnered with New York City dining destination Sei Less to host an intimate gathering for 45–50 teenagers from Children of Promise NYC — a nonprofit organization supporting young people whose families have been impacted by the criminal justice system.
The 2025 Root 100 Gala delivered a powerful and reimagined celebration of Black excellence, bringing together influential voices from across arts, activism, business, politics, faith, media, and culture.