Month: June 2020

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer has closed a first look production deal with Jennifer Todd, the producer of “Alice In Wonderland” and “Memento,” and her company Jennifer Todd Pictures. There have been murmurs that Todd was going to ally herself with MGM for months. She has a long-standing business relationship with Michael De Luca, who took over as MGM’s
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There’s a changing of the guard at the team that leads Universal Pictures’ overseas distribution. Duncan Clark, the convivial and much-beloved president of international distribution, will be stepping down after a 14-year run at the studio. He will transition into a consulting role in August and has been discussing his desire step down from the
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Streamers Netflix, BBC iPlayer and BritBox have removed comedy series “Little Britain” from their platforms amid concerns about its use of blackface for certain characters. Variety has confirmed that Netflix pulled the BBC series, which was written by and stars Matt Lucas and David Walliams, on Friday. Netflix has also dropped the comedians’ airport mockumentary
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As COVID-19 forced cities into lockdown, nightlife shut down almost overnight, taking countless gigs and jobs with it. With no ability to stage shows, draw crowds, or even just dance it out with their friends and chosen family, drag performers have had to turn to digital platforms to keep themselves afloat, both financially and creatively.
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Bucking the politics of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, São Paulo will on Wednesday publish for public consultation a set of proposals for cash rebates on international shoots that include affirmative action clauses around race and gender. São Paulo’s film-TV agency Spcine will also notify their plans to prize pro-environment productions. Already a revolution for Brazil
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Paul Pastor, a former Disney ABC Television Group and Discovery exec, has joined Firstlight Media as chief business officer. In the business-development, sales, and marketing role, Pastor is seeking to strike partnerships between the over-the-top video services company and telecom providers and TV broadcasters. Pastor, a member of Disney/ABC’s original Hulu investment team, most recently
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Check out the official Bill & Ted Face the Music Teaser Trailer starring Keanu Reeves! Let us know what you think in the comments below. ► Sign up for a Fandango FanAlert for Bill & Ted Face the Music: https://www.fandango.com/bill-and-ted-face-the-music-223079/movie-overview?cmp=MCYT_YouTube_Desc Want to be notified of all the latest movie trailers? Subscribe to the channel and
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Recently launched U.K. AVOD service W4free has added over 100 feature films to its platform after striking licensing deals with distributors including Kaleidoscope, Platform Entertainment, The Film Consortium and Icon Film Distribution. Among the titles added to the service, which launched in November 2019, are films such as  1989’s “Henry V,” starring Kenneth Branagh; 2007’s “La Vie
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For the 2020 Power of Women issue, Variety spoke with several women in the entertainment industry who are using their voices to benefit worthy causes. For more, click here.  Janelle Monáe, the musician and actor, has always been political, and during this dreadful year she has been further ignited. Her impassioned activism was front and
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The lack of diversity in factual television has been highlighted by BAFTA’s Television Awards nominations, according to industry network We are Doc Women, which has called for “swift, definitive action” from TV companies to tackle the issue. Announced last week, the nominations for the BAFTA TV factual director category was an all-male affair. For the
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Leading Russian toon house Wizart Animation has closed deals for the U.K., India, and across the African continent for two of its leading feature film franchises. The deals were announced Tuesday during the Key Buyers Event: Digital Edition, a showcase of the latest Russian productions organized by film promotion body Roskino. Signature Entertainment has acquired
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Russian director Vladlena Sandu’s upcoming TV series “Identification,” the pilot episode for which plays Tuesday at Roskino virtual market, Key Buyers Event, starts with four naked female bodies, each with the same tattoo on their neck, found by police in a refrigerator truck on the border between Russia and Finland. Cut to three years later
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Boutique co-producer and distributor About Premium Content (APC) has agreed a raft of international sales for season one of its Cold War drama series “Shadow Lines,” including  to AMC Networks’ streaming service Sundance Now in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. A second season of the 1950s Helslinki-set spy thriller has been commissioned by Finnish streaming
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When Russian toon house Wizart Animation began enlisting collaborators for its upcoming series “Snow Queen: Keepers of Wonders,” a small-screen spinoff of the blockbuster animated film franchise, it wasted no time in recruiting talent from abroad. Brad Breeck, the composer from Disney XD’s “Gravity Falls,” came on board to assist with the soundtrack, while TV
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Kyrgyz and Russian director Nurbek Egen is best known for feature films “The Wedding Chest” and “The Empty Home,” and he more recently transitioned to TV with the 2017 series “Two Against Death.” He is now making a play for international audiences with high-end show “Sherlock: The Russian Chronicles,” produced by Russia’s Yellow, Black and
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This week the Key Buyers Event: Digital Edition, organized by Russian film promotion body Roskino, launched its virtual showcase of new Russian productions with some 400 international participants slated to take part, including buyers, commissioners and producers from 55 countries. Exports of Russian films have been growing at a healthy 25% clip annually in recent
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“Guilt” and “Eric, Ernie and Me” writer Neil Forsyth is launching production label Tannadice Pictures in partnership with Objective Fiction, the production company behind Netflix and Channel 4 co-production “Feel Good.” Forsyth will exclusively develop and write content for Objective Fiction via Tannadice Pictures, as well as develop projects with other writers through the new
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