As the BBC enters its centenary year, its future appears more precarious than ever before. An oddly timed government decision this week to freeze the U.K. TV license fee, which is the primary source of income for the BBC, has reignited fierce public discussion about the corporation’s funding model — and whether change can happen
Month: January 2022
APPOINTMENT Following Monday’s announcement that Barbara Salabè is leaving WarnerMedia, the company has appointed Thomas J. Ciampa as country manager for Italy, Spain and Portugal, reporting directly to WarnerMedia EMEA & Asia (excluding China) president Priya Dogra. Ciampa is tasked with heading the development and execution of WarnerMedia’s strategy and optimization of all commercial and
Microsoft announced a deal to buy video-game player Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion in cash. If it goes through, it would be Microsoft’s biggest-ever acquisition — and by far the biggest deal ever in the video game biz — as well as the largest tech deal to date. Activision Blizzard’s games lineup includes “Call of
“Ford vs Holden,” a feature documentary tracking Australian rivalry between car brands, will take to the road in April. The film, which is targeting a cinema release, is produced by WildBear Entertainment for Universal Pictures Content Group, and received finance from the Queensland state government. Holden is a Melbourne-based car marque owned by the U.S.’s
Focus Media is set to produce “Eve After The Fall,” a contemporary drama set against the backdrop of the Zagreb earthquake of 2020. The female-driven film will mark the directorial debut of well-known Croatian actor-writer Lana Barić (“Tereza37”). Named after the titular Rodin sculpture, “Eve After The Fall” is set to star Olga Pakalović (“Halima’s
Fremantle and pay-TV operator Sky are unveiling Sky original series “The King,” an innovative prison drama toplining Luca Zingaretti, who is best known as the titular character in Italy’s widely exported “Inspector Montalbano” series. While in “Montalbano” Zingaretti played a simpatico Mafia-fighting Sicilian sleuth, in “The King” he undergoes a monumental character change, becoming the
U.K.-based sales company 101 Films International has picked up overseas sales rights to “Love Yourself Today,” a documentary about Irish singer-songwriter Damien Dempsey, and it has launched sales on Philippe McKie’s theatrical feature film “Dreams on Fire.” “Love Yourself Today” is directed by Ross Killeen and produced by FIS Eireann/Screen Ireland and Motherland in association
German Films, an agency that promotes German cinema worldwide, has announced the talent who will feature in its 7th annual Face to Face With German Films campaign. The high-profile platform sets out to bring international visibility to the wealth of ground-breaking talent working in film and TV in Germany, and shaping the future of the
Roland Emmerich’s upcoming “Moonfall” and Simon Kinberg’s current release “The 355” are part of a multi-year licensing agreement between German independent content house Leonine Studios and Sky Deutschland. Under the terms of the deal, Sky Deutschland secures exclusive first pay TV rights and the exclusive SVOD rights for a period of 12 months to the
Sony Pictures Television-owned independent production outfit Stellify Media, have signed a deal that will see the format of their Netflix series “Flinch” adapted for Russia. The format is distributed by Sony Pictures Television. The original show was set on a remote farm in the hills of Ireland where contestants gathered to test their nerve against
Leading indie film project market, the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum has revealed a selection of 28 titles for its twentieth edition and confirmed that it will be held online for the third time in a row. “Unfortunately, we won’t have the opportunity to celebrate our 20th anniversary by hosting our usual in-person event due
Marvel Studios unveiled the first trailer for its Disney Plus series “Moon Knight” on Monday night, officially launching the 2022 slate for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In “Moon Knight,” premiering on March 30, Oscar Isaac plays Marc Spector, an ex-soldier with a profound case of dissociative identity disorder that manifests as fully distinct individuals. He
Things took an unpredictable turn at the top of the Billboard charts this week as Gunna’s new album unexpectedly slipped past the Weeknd’s, albeit in a photo finish that had the rapper pull ahead of the superstar competition by the tiniest of margins. The Weeknd’s “Dawn FM” debuted with 148,000 album-equivalent units, almost but not
Production has begun in Sydney on the television drama “After the Verdict,” with Michelle Lim Davidson and Tess Haubrich joining the cast. The six-part series follows four people who have just finished jury duty on a high-profile murder trial. As they return to normal life, they begin to question their verdict and take matters into their own
There are relatively few famous unfinished films, ranging from von Sternberg’s “I, Claudius” to Jerry Lewis’ “The Day the Clown Cried” to various Orson Welles joints that continue to be patched together by former collaborators long after his death. But most such projects, usually abandoned due to financial and/or legal woes, languish in an obscurity
Dan Einstein, a Grammy winner who co-founded independent record labels with singer-songwriters John Prine and Steve Goodman, only to quit the business and open a bakery that became an East Nashville community hub, died Saturday in Nashville at 61. A cause of death was not given, but family members said he had been suffering from
Netflix has been looking for its first best picture Oscar for the past few years. With the winners now announced for the North Dakota Film Critics, “The Power of the Dog” takes home its 21st awards season prize for best picture. The streamer has now surpassed its best awards season record, set by the 20
Steve Schapiro, a famed photojournalist whose work covering the entertainment industry spawned enduring images of films like “The Godfather” and “Taxi Driver,” died from pancreatic cancer at his home in Chicago on Sunday evening. He was 87 years old. Schapiro began his pursuit of photography at the age of nine, beginning by capturing New York
Twenty years after making the Oscar-nominated box office hit “The Crime of Padre Amaro” in 2002, Mexican director Carlos Carrera and producer Daniel Birman Ripstein are teaming up once more for psychological thriller “Confessions.” “We’re now in post with a documentary about child actors in Mexico, ‘I Want to be Famous,’ but this will be
A forthcoming “cold case” documentary investigating who betrayed Anne Frank’s hiding place has uncovered a new suspect. Investigators, including a former FBI agent, believe Arnold van den Bergh, a one-time member of Amsterdam’s Jewish Council, may have been responsible for revealing Frank’s hiding place in the secret attic above her father’s office. The documentary’s investigators
Filmmaker Joss Whedon has broken his silence over multiple allegations of misconduct by him on productions he oversaw, including the 2017 film “Justice League” and his influential TV series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” In a lengthy interview with New York magazine that published on Monday, Whedon denied Gal Gadot’s allegation that he “threatened” her career
U.K. Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has confirmed that the national TV license fee, which is the primary source of income for the BBC, will be frozen at £159 ($217) per year for the next two years. It will then rise in line with inflation for the following four years. Addressing the U.K. parliament on Monday,
Actor and comedian Jim Carrey has accumulated a wide range of memorable performances that have made him one of the most revered movie stars in history. The Canadian-born actor started alongside great stand-up comedians like Rodney Dangerfield before getting his big break on television with the classic variety series “In Living Color.” Variety is ranking
All hail the new king! “Scream” dethroned “Spider-Man: No Way Home” over the four-day Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, becoming the first film to unseat the superhero phenomenon since it debuted on Dec. 17. The slasher revival grossed $34 million from 3,664 locations to top the box office. The impressive haul means that Paramount and
“The Harder They Fall” won top honors at this year’s African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) awards, taking home the prize for best picture. The Netflix western led the field alongside Warner Bros.’ “King Richard,” with both releases netting four awards across all categories. Along with best picture, “The Harder They Fall” also won awards
“Captain America: Civil War” star Daniel Brühl has boarded Lone Scherfig’s upcoming feature “The Movie Teller,” Variety can reveal. The BAFTA-nominated actor, who recently reprised his Marvel role in “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” and has appeared in features including “Rush” and “Inglourious Basterds,” will star alongside Bérénice Bejo (“The Artist”) and Antonio de
After the shock revelation on Sunday that U.K. Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries is planning to freeze the annual licence fee, which is the primary source of income for the BBC, the corporation’s bosses will continue their efforts to secure investment. In an email sent to BBC staff on Monday, BBC director-general Tim Davie and chair
Elliot Page has boarded Berlin-bound transgender-themed doc “Nel Mio Nome” (“Into My Name”) by Italian director and producer Nicolò Bassetti as its executive producer. The doc, which will world premiere during the upcoming Berlin Film Festival in the Panorama Dokumente section, stems from Bassetti’s personal experience with the gender transition of his child, Matteo. “Into
STREAMING Revered Indian actor and filmmaker Kamal Haasan (“Papanasam”) will return as the host of “Big Boss Ultimate,” a Tamil-language version of the “Big Brother” format. Five seasons of “Bigg Boss Tamil,” hosted by Haasan, were broadcast on Disney’s Star Vijay channel and streamed on Disney Plus Hotstar. “Bigg Boss Ultimate,” however, will be a
Austria-based agency Autlook Filmsales has picked up world sales rights to “Myanmar Diaries,” one of the first films to be selected for the Berlin film festival’s Panorama section. The picture is Autlook’s only new title for the online edition of the European Film Market. “Diaries” was made by anonymous group of filmmakers calling themselves the
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- …
- 52
- Next Page »