Two investment firms said they would buy a majority stake in Univision, the nation’s biggest Spanish-language broadcaster, setting up a new era for the large broadcasting company at a time when traditional media entities are grappling with new ways to reach large audiences. Searchlight Capital Partners and ForgeLight LLC, two investment firms, will acquire a
Month: February 2020
February 25, 2020 3:30AM PT Scott Harris, the songwriter, producer and musician who has worked extensively with Shawn Mendes, has signed a joint agreement with Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Work of Art. The long-term copublishing deal marks the first collaborative signing between the two companies, both under the Sony Music umbrella. Among Harris’ best known
Hillary Clinton has said that the jury’s verdict in the trial of Harvey Weinstein, formerly one of her primary Hollywood donors, “really speaks for itself.” “It is obviously something that people have looked at and followed, because it was time for an accounting and the jury clearly found that,” said Clinton, who was speaking Tuesday
Young Italian director Chiara Bellosi is at the Berlinale with “Ordinary Justice” which examines the lives of two families on opposite sides of a murder case who intersect on the benches outside the room where the case is being tried. This first work, screening in Generation14Plus, is produced by Carlo Cresto-Dina’s Tempesta Film which discovered Alice Rohrwacher (“The
Exclusive TMZ/Getty Jake Paul and Zayn Malik‘s online shouting match — via Gigi Hadid — got started with what sounds like a hard snub to come get crazy with the YouTube broskis. Sources close to Jake tell TMZ … both he and Zayn were staying at the same hotel in Vegas over the weekend, and
Netflix and other streaming giants might be setting the pace for a global TV landscape upended by video-on-demand technology, but European players are shaking up domestic markets by ramping up investment in original production, forging unlikely partnerships, and looking to beat Netflix at its own game by finding innovative ways to personalize the VOD viewing
A wet, windy night couldn’t dampen the mood at the opening reception of the Berlinale Series Market and Conference, the Berlin Film Festival’s popular three-day TV strand that kicked off Monday Feb. 24 with a full house at the Gropius Mirror Pavilion. Among those in attendance (pictured, from left) were European Film Market director Matthijs
These days, the horror-fantasy thriller tends to be a junk metaphysical spook show that throws a whole lot of scary clutter at the audience — ghosts, “demons,” mad killers — without necessarily adding up to an experience that’s about anything. But in “The Invisible Man,” Leigh Whannell’s ingenious and entertaining update of a concept that’s
February 24, 2020 11:34PM PT Sales agent Dutch Features has boarded crime miniseries “Black Nazareth,” and has started sales on it at the European Film Market in Berlin. The Dutch miniseries, which is in development, follows a customs officer in the port of Rotterdam who is drawn into a criminal operation while trying to deal
BERLIN — ITV Studios push into European drama has been boosted by pre-sales on “Romulus” and a slew of deals across a burgeoning slate of non-English language productions as ITV Studios aims to position as a world-class player in global content production. Announced at this week’s Berlinale Series Market, the sales play off ITV Studios
Tuesday see’s the Berlin Film Festival play host to the sixth edition of its Co-Pro Series Pitch and Networking event, where 10 exciting TV projects from around the world will pitch to potential co-producers, investors, sales agents and broadcasters. Under the umbrella of the Berlinale Co-Production Market – dedicated to connecting feature film producers and
After its usual slow start, Berlin’s European Film Market came to closely resemble the state of the underlying film industry: unsettled, angry and uneasily attempting to adjust to major change. Where the film festival has new leaders in artistic director Carlo Chatrian and managing director Mariette Rissenbeek, following changes of leadership at Panorama and Forum,
Les Films du Kiosque, the Paris-based production company behind Nicolas Bedos’ Cannes-premiering “La Belle Epoque” and Netflix’ hit original “Family Business,” is set to reteam with Bedos on “Masquarade,” and will produce Mabrouk El Mechri’s “Kung Fu Zohra.” El Mechri’s film follows Zohra, a young cashier from the suburbs who is being physically abused by
Italy’s Pepito Prods., at Berlin with competition drama “Bad Tales” by Damiano and Fabio D’Innocenzo, is emerging as a new home for the country’s auteurs. The company, headed by former RAI head of drama Agostino Saccà in January, scored more than $6 million in Italian cinemas with veteran Gianni Amelio’s “Hammamet,” a biopic of disgraced
February 24, 2020 10:09PM PT Barcelona-based Rodar y Rodar, producer of Spanish horror titles such as J.A. Bayona’s “The Orphanage” and Oriol Paulo’s “The Body, has thrown its weight behind David Casademunt’s “The Beast,” boarding it as its main producer. “The Beast,” which participated in Filmarket Hub’s 2017 Sitges Pitchbox event as well as Ventana
Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov, the Macedonian directors of the dual Oscar-nominated documentary “Honeyland,” are prepping several new projects, Variety has learned exclusively. The directing duo are looking to build on the success of their debut, a moving portrait of a lone beekeeper struggling to preserve a traditional way of life, which was nominated for
For a feature debut that he describes as a contemporary Western, Greek director Georgis Grigorakis settled on a familiar archetype — “a lonely guy with his horse, with his shotgun” — who, in keeping with the genre’s conventions, is drawn into a confrontation and is prepared to fight to the bitter end in the defense
February 24, 2020 10:18PM PT “Blast,” a high-concept thriller produced and represented in international markets by Paris-based company Wide, has sold to several territories at the EFM in Berlin. Vanya Peirani-Vignes’ feature debut, “Blast” takes place Parisian parking lot where Sonia finds herself trapped in her car with her son while her boyfriend’s daughter has
Leading Russian animation company Riki Group, home of brands such as “Kikoriki” and “BabyRiki,” has acquired Aeroplane Prods., the producer of cartoon franchise “The Fixies.” In Berlin, Riki Group is selling “Finnick,” a feature film about a mischievous furry creature who plays pranks on the family who lives in his house. The company’s stand is
L.A. and Berlin-based producer Gabriela Bacher, CEO of media company Film House Germany, is attached to executive produce Witcraft Filmproduktion’s mystery drama project “Snow,” selected for this year’s Co-Pro Series at the Berlinale Co-Production Market. Bacher, a former Fox International Productions executive and principal of Studio Babelsberg, joined the company in 2011 as both CEO
MADRID — Beta Film has acquired international distribution rights to “Libertad,” the newly-titled banner Movistar Plus series, which encapsulates many of the original series production ambitions of Telefonica’s pay TV/SVOD service. According to Fran Araujo, head of content for Movistar Plus, “Beta is there for all our series from the beginning, nowadays, we’ve got a
Metrafilm’s Russian spy series project “Pawns,” pitching at this year’s CoPro Series event at the Berlinale, will be joined by Latvian co-producer Tasse Film. “Pawns” is the brainchild of writers Michael and Lily Idov, co-writers of 2018 Cannes Palme d’Or competitor “Leto,” and creators of two hugely popular Russian series in “Londongrad” and “The Optimists.”
“Dome 16,” a futuristic sci-fi climate drama from creator Thomas Seeber Torjussen and Norway’s Tordenfilm, has a new co-producer in Fleur Winters from Dutch production house Big Blue. It’s the second time the companies have joined forces, previously co-producing NRK’s popular teenage series “ZombieLars.” In addition to creating the series, International Emmy nominee Seeber Torjussen
Netflix has swooped in and taken global rights outside Australia to the Cate Blanchett-starring and exec-produced refugee drama series “Stateless,” following its world premiere in Berlin this week. Australian public broadcaster ABC, which commissioned the six-part series, will air “Stateless” on March 1, with the streaming giant going out later this year. It is believed
Robbie Robertson recalls his earliest music memory of being on the Six Nation Indian Reserve in New York and everyone around him could play an instrument. “I thought I needed to get into this club,” the musician says. Growing up surrounded by music and hearing elders on the reservation tell stories stuck out for Robertson.
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched the ninth episode of Season 24 of “The Bachelor” And then there were three. Last week, titular bachelor Peter Weber survived a round-robin of meet the parents, and chose to continue his journey with three women: Madison Prewett, Hannah Ann Sluss and Victoria Fuller. After
In today’s film news roundup, IFC buys a Liam Neeson comedy and STX takes territories on Karen Gillan and Lena Headey’s “Gunpowder Milkshake.” ACQUISITIONS IFC Films is acquiring U.S. rights to James D’Arcy’s feature directorial debut, “Made In Italy,” starring Liam Neeson and Micheál Richardson. “Made In Italy” will receive a traditional theatrical release in
Taking his seat for a panel on the subject of women in country music at Country Radio Seminar last week, one of the speakers, Damon Moberly, VP of promotion at the Mercury Nashville label, made a quip about what a minefield the topic has been. “Doing the female panel. What could go wrong?” Moberly asked,
February 24, 2020 5:23PM PT Wendy Goodman, a 20-year veteran of RCA Records (and formerly imprint J Records), is leaving the company. Currently senior vice president of promotion for the Sony Music label, her last day is Feb. 28. In an email to staff, RCA co-president Joe Riccitelli praised Goodman’s “passion, positivity and tenacity” in
Fox’s drama pilot “The Big Leap” has added four series regulars. Matt Lucas, Ser’Darius Blain, Ray Cham, and Teri Polo have all joined the one-hour project, which centers on a group of diverse underdogs from all different walks of life who compete to be part of a competition reality series that is putting on a
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