The project, produced by Sammie Astaneh’s Vancouver-based production outfit Service Street Pictures (Exile, Lonestar Christmas), marks Goodshort’s first vertical drama series produced in Canada. One Last Temptation Before I Say I Do is directed by Brianne Nord-Stewart (I Was Octomom: The Natalie Suleman Story) and produced alongside Geoff Browne (Gboy, Call Me Shamsz).

"Vertical dramas are more than a format shift — they're a cultural bridge to a generation raised on mobile storytelling," say Astaneh and Browne in a joint statement. “It's a chance to meet younger audiences where they are: in their hands, on their time, with stories that move as fast as they do.” 

One Last Temptation Before I Say I Do depicts a high-stakes dating reality show that involves eight contestants, who explore different partners while staying at a luxurious villa. The vertical drama was shot in Vancouver and the cast includes Matthew Stephen Smith From Netflix’s Too Hot To Handle and vertical stars Georgia White, Evan Bacic and Nic Westaway from the hit Australian series Home and Away, who was recently a speaker at Hong Kong's FILMART 2025, where vertical films took center stage on its opening day.

“Participating at FILMART 2025 in Hong Kong as a panel guest was very inspiring,” says Vancouver-based actor Nic Westaway. “To see the immense passion behind so many companies, productions and styles of performance art was incredible and I felt honoured to be invited to share the stage and speak about verticals and how they are emerging as a fast evolving, wildly successful, global genre.”
 
One Last Temptation Before I Say I Do is executive produced by Ivy Yu from GoodShort and casting is by Monika Dalman (Othermor, Pitfall). The vertical drama series will be released on the GoodShort platform on May 30, 2025.

"Working with Sammie, Geoff and Brianne was one of those magical moments you rarely get to experience in the industry,” says Matthew Stephen Smith from season one of Netflix’s hit reality show Too Hot to Handle. “With One Last Temptation Before I Say I Do, I believe GoodShort has officially raised the bar for vertical dramas.”

The Bentonville Film Festival (BFF) in collaboration with founding partner, Walmart, and presenting sponsor, Coca-Cola, announced today their Shaping the Narrative, Geena & Friends participants, Juneteenth and Spotlight programming, jurors and additional panels and events taking place at the 2025 Bentonville Film Festival, set for June 16-22 in Bentonville, AR. The annual Festival, celebrating its 11th anniversary, is a globally recognized platform amplifying female, non-binary, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and people with disabilities’ voices in entertainment. Festival passes and individual tickets are on sale now.

Geena & Friends

Geena & Friends returns with two-time Academy Award winning actor Geena Davis along with an all-star group of equally brilliant actors, who will re-imagine memorable dialogue from all-male movie scenes with an all-female lens. A saucy way to show that film and television casts can be far more diverse than they are written - without losing any of the fun! This year’s participants joining Davis include Shohreh Aghdashloo (The Penguin), Toks Olagundoye (Frasier), Alysia Reiner (The Diplomat) and Brenda Song (Running Point). Following the performance, Gold Derby Editor-in-Chief Debra Birnbaum will lead a Q&A with the participants. The event will take place on Friday, June 20 at the Thaden Theater.

In addition, yesterday in partnership with Variety, the Festival announced that Brenda Song will be presented with the Variety Virtuoso Award on June 20th.

“Every year, Geena & Friends reminds us just how much fun it is to reimagine the movies we know well with a very different cast. Goodfellas? Reservoir Dogs? The Godfather?? We’ve done ‘em all!” said Geena Davis, Chair of the Bentonville Film Festival. “With this incredible group of women—Shohreh, Toks, Alysia, and Brenda—we’re not just performing scenes, we’re breaking free from the limitations of traditional casting. It’s eye-opening—and hilarious! I can’t wait to share that energy with our audience.”

Shaping the Narrative

Olympic Champion Allyson Felix will participate in this year’s Shaping the Narrative conversation in partnership with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and Ingeborg Initiatives.

The Jury for this year’s festival awards will include Anne Alvergue (Editor/Director, The Martha Mitchell Effect), Keely Cat-Wells (Disability Advocate; CEO of Making Space), Joshua Dahlman (Program Director of Shorts & MN Features, Twin Cities Film Festival), Kathryn Everett (Director/Producer; Founder of 5D Studios), James Faust (Artistic Director, Dallas International Film Festival), Marie Jamora (Director; Guest Artistic Director of AFI's Directing Workshop for Women), Michelle Krusiec (Writer/Director/Actor; Nian), Toks Olagundoye (Actor, Frasier), Pallavi Sastry (Producer/Actor; Co-Director of Programming, iSAFF), Nicole Shipley (Producer; Co-founder and CEO of Safe Space Pictures Foundation), Bomani J. Story (Director, The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster) and Claire Taylor (Chief Program Officer, SeriesFest).

“We're thrilled about this year’s festival, featuring expanded programming that celebrates our mission to champion diverse voices in storytelling — and a jury that shares our passio

Meet actor and former stuntman Stephen Oyoung; the newest cast member to join Paramount Pictures' action-packed film Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (in theaters now). Stephen plays a U.S. Navy Dive Master nicknamed “Pills” who aids Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) in a time of need.

Featured on Men's Fitness and CBS Mornings, Stephen is available to discuss his move from stunts to acting, being on the set of Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and his role as a 'good guy' in the film.

Ethan Hunt and the IMF team continue their search for the terrifying AI known as the Entity - which has infiltrated intelligence networks all over the globe - with the world's governments and a mysterious ghost from Ethan's past on their trail. Joined by new allies and armed with the means to shut the Entity down for good, Hunt is in a race against time to prevent the world as we know it from changing forever. In addition to Cruise, returning cast will include Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Vanessa Kirby, Mariela Garriga, Henry Czerny, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Charles Parnell and Frederick Schmidt. Others making their Mission: Impossible debut in the eighth installment include Stephen Oyoung, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer,

Filmmaker Eugene Jarecki has been awarded the first-ever Cannes Golden Globe Prize for Documentary, Presented by Artemis Rising Foundation.

Jarecki is a two-time winner of the Sundance Grand Jury Prize, as well as multiple Emmy and Peabody Awards. His latest film, “The Six Billion Dollar Man”, premieres at Cannes on 21st May.

The Golden Globe prize honours a filmmaker for their contribution in shaping the documentary genre and challenging the way audiences see the world. The prize jury is : President of Golden Globes, Helen Hoehne; award-winning Founder & CEO of Artemis Rising Foundation, Regina K. Scully; Academy Award winning producer and Co-Founder of Impact Partners, Geralyn White Dreyfous; and, Actor & Producer Tessa Thompson.

In deciding to award Jarecki, the jury highlighted how “his films combine the skills of a journalist with the voice of a poet.” They commended him for “balancing penetrating analysis with fearlessness, compassion and empathy” - emphasising particularly “he helps us broaden our view of what is right and wrong,” and that “he is not afraid to look ‘under the hood’ of society and expose what is being rewired without our consent.” They felt overall that “Jarecki's films deeply challenge our perspectives, and inspire us to defend our most fundamental freedoms.”

The jury said: “Eugene Jarecki embodies the very spirit of what this prize was created to honor. His documentaries are fearless, unflinching, and profoundly human - they don’t just inform, they transform. At a time when truth is under pressure, Eugene’s work reminds us of the power of storytelling to provoke, enlighten, and ultimately defend democracy itself. We are proud to recognise his extraordinary contribution with the first-ever Cannes Golden Globe Prize for Documentary.”

The prize winner was announced by Thompson at a special Marché du Film event. In her remarks, Thompson said, “I think in exposing the vigor required in pursuit of truth, we cannot assume any government is interested in our proximity to it. The art and power of documentary is to show the ultimate cost and sacrifice of those who work to expose the truth - and how hugely important it is to continue to dig, question, and protect both the truth and the people and institutions who devote themselves to it.”

The prize launch highlights the Golden Globes’ and Artemis Rising Foundation’s joint commitment to recognising and elevating the importance of documentary filmmaking, together with supporting partner Think-Film Impact Production.

About Golden Globes

As a premier entertainment awards show since 1944, the annual Golden Globes has honored achievements in both television and film. Over the last three decades, the Golden Globes has enabled donations of more than $55 million to entertainment-related charities including scholarship programs, film restoration projects and humanitarian efforts. This funding has also supported diverse programs in partnership with advocacy groups aimed at promoting greater access in Hollywood for underserved communities. Dick Clark Productions is the owner and producer of the Golden Globes. For more information on the Golden Globe Awards, please visit

As a special tribute to the legendary filmmaker Guru Dutt's 100th birth anniversary this year, Ultra Media & Entertainment Group unveils the fully restored versions of Guru Dutt's timeless classics for the Global audience at the Cannes

Restored gems of Guru Dutt like *Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool, Chaudhvin Ka Chand, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam & others are present at the Cannes . This is a celebration of Indian creativity, its past, present & future & a step towards inspiring global audiences".

Guru Dutt was born on 9th July 1925. As part of his 100th Birth anniversary Celebrations,Ultra is paying a month-long tribute to him. across India in July 2025. His fully restored films will be re-released in theatres all over India.  Besides the re-released films, there will be curated exhibitions & engaging panel discussions on Guru Dutt's timeless legacy by other prominent filmmakers. This initiative is not just a celebration of his unparalleled artistry, but a way to reconnect new generations with the rich emotional and cultural heritage he created

The future of storytelling lies in embracing both heritage and innovation. This is a celebration of Indian creativity, its past, present & future & a step towards inspiring global audiences. Through a meticulous frame-by-frame 4K/2K manual restoration process, using industry-leading software's like Diamant, PF Clean, Revival etc. Ultra has revitalized these old classics for future generations. This initiative is a part of the Company's broader commitment to preserve India's cinematic heritage and share it with the world.

The Company also has Colourised Indian classics like Chori Chori, Paigham(Dilip Kumar), Insaniyat (Only film starring Dev Anand and Dilip Kumar together) using their own proprietary technologies. Film restoration and preservation are not just about technology; they are about respect for storytellers, audiences & cultural legacy. By combining state-of-the-art tools with deep passion, they are making India's rich creative history accessible to every corner of the world.

Please visit us at our Exhibition Booth No Stall on P-1 (23.09) at the Cannes Film Festival 2025. Mr. Rajat Agrawal, COO & Director of Ultra Media & Entertainment Group will be happy to share with you various details around it