Beginning today, Cartoon Forum, the annual European pitching and co-production event for animated TV projects, is a mirror of the times we live in, according to its general director, Annick Maes. “This year’s Cartoon Forum will incorporate the transformations we are going through in one form or another,” she told Variety. “There are a lot of projects about the ecology,
RLJE Films is partnering with Shudder on “Kids vs. Aliens,” which it will fully finance and premiere at Fantastic Fest later this month. Both companies are business units of AMC Networks. Shudder is a streaming service that focuses on horror, thriller and supernatural films. RLJE Films will release the alien invasion film in theaters, on
Tel Aviv-based Donna and Shula Productions and “Tehran” director Daniel Syrkin have set a joint venture to develop TV series for the global market, with an emphasis on the U.S. and Europe. Donna and Shula Productions leaders Dana Eden and Shula Spiegel have shepherded two seasons of the espionage drama series “Tehran” with Syrkin. The
Maya Hawke agrees with co-star Millie Bobby Brown about “Stranger Things” having way too many characters. Hawke, who joined the Netflix hit series in its third season as Robin, was taking a lie detector test for Vanity Fair when she was asked if fan favorite Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) deserved to die at the end
Eight animated TV series projects involving Spanish companies will be presented to buyers and producers attending 2022 Cartoon Forum’s pitching sessions, the event’s main attraction. Among well-known production companies presenting their latest cartoon shows figure In Efecto Atlantis, the Spanish-French studio behind Disney’s series “Tara Duncan;”Sygnatia, the producer of multi-award winning animated film “Buñuel in
NBCUniversal hopes to help some people break into the media business who might not previously have found an easy path. The Comcast-backed media conglomerate committed to help young people from diverse backgrounds break into the industry through the efforts of a new Creative Impact Lab, which aims to focus on non-profit storytelling and provide opportunities
When YouTube chief business officer Robert Kyncl announced late last month that he’ll be leaving the company after 12 years in the job, many observers quickly moved him to the front of the line to replace outgoing Warner Music CEO Steve Cooper, who’d announced just two months earlier that he’ll be stepping down after 11
Over the weekend, a hacker illegally obtained and leaked unreleased footage from “Grand Theft Auto VI,” the upcoming installment in Rockstar Games’ hit franchise, the studio acknowledged Monday. A user on the GTA Forums posted a 3-gigabyte file — which included 90 videos with “GTA VI” footage, PC Gamer reported. According to the report, the
At the peak of the Black Lives Matter protests in June of 2020, Sony, along with several other music companies, announced a major commitment to help fight racial and social injustice worldwide — in its case, $100 million. The company has issued an extensive update on its progress with the Sony Group Global Social Justice Impact Report.,
Paramount Global-owned network Channel 5 was the only U.K. public service broadcaster not to show any royal-related coverage on Monday (Sept. 19) while Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral was taking place in London. While BBC One, BBC Two and ITV broadcast the funeral live and Channel 4 showed a documentary on the Queen, Channel 5 instead
Signalling Mexican giant exhibitor-distributor Cinépolis’ gradual return to producing since the pandemic, the company has partnered once more with producer Javier González-Rubio of Invicta Films, here on film critic Hugo Lara’s second feature, “Serendipia” (“Serendipity”). “We are excited to be embarking on this new journey with Invicta Films and strengthening our partnership. ‘Serendipia’ is a
South Indian star Varun Tej is to head the cast of a patriotic air force action thriller backed by Sony Pictures International Productions. The untitled picture will begin filming from November. Tej, known locally as ‘Mega Prince,’ has his roots in the Telugu-language regional film industry and achieved fame with the Krish-directed “Kanche” in 2015.
Egyptian-American director Dina Amer’s politically sensitive drama “You Resemble Me,” the story of Hasna Aït Boulahcen who in 2015 was wrongly believed to be Europe’s first female suicide bomber, is getting a Middle East release via Front Row Filmed Entertainment. Amer’s feature debut, which world premiered positively at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, is a
Action star, Jai Courtney is to narrate “For the Love of Pets,” a factual animal welfare series set in Australia. Commissioned for the 9Network Australia and filmed in 4K, the 8-part series follows the heart-warming stories of the staff, volunteers and animals that come through the doors of the Animal Welfare League of South Australia
The story of Alexis Haines’ entanglement with a circle of Los Angeles-area home invaders has been told multiple times over: In the reporting of Nancy Jo Sales, who profiled her for Vanity Fair in 2010; on her own reality show, “Pretty Wild,” which aired on E! in 2010; and in Sofia Coppola’s 2013 film “The
British monarch Queen Elizabeth II, who died on Sept. 8, aged 96, after ruling for 70 years, is being accorded a state funeral on Monday at Westminster Abbey, with as many as 2 million people expected to line the streets to see her cortege, CNN reports. International dignitaries attending alongside the British royal family include
Emmy-winning writer Alice Prodanou and cross-media brand Star Stable Entertainment will bring their hit web show “Star Stable: Mistfall” to television. Working with animation studios Ferly and Atmosphere Media, Prodanou will oversee creative duties on the tween-skewing episodic series, set to enrich and expand the world of the YouTube short-form that premiered in 2020. “We’ve
Paris-based premium kids content producer Cottonwood Media has announced its sister distribution company, Federation Kids & Family, has nabbed world rights for its upcoming TV series “Welcome to Lolyland.” The project is one of 80 being pitched this week at Cartoon Forum, the leading European event for animated TV series in development aimed at industry
Armando Espitia, who broke out as the hapless young factory worker in Amat Escalante’s Cannes winner “Heli,” is attached to star in “Six Months in the Pink and Blue Building,” a feature project being brought to San Sebastian’s Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum by Mexico’s Bruno Santamaría Raso. Also on board is actor – and writer-producer
French kids entertainment company Millimages has announced it is renewing with Netflix for Seasons 2, 3 and 4 of its hit series “Molang”, already picked up by co-producers TF1 and Canal+. “Molang” will be rolling out in all territories except Scandinavia and China from Nov. 1, said Millimages general manager Marina Narishkin, adding that the
Paris-based La Fabrica Nocturna Cinéma, producer of Chema García Ibarra’s 2021 Locarno winner “Sacred Spirit,” has boarded Gabriel Azorin’s “Last Night I Conquered the City of Thebes,” marking another financing milestone for his buzzy, poetic and time blending Spanish project. A Locarno Match Me! hit. “Thebes” has been put through both San Sebastián’s Ikusmira Berriak
Popular Indian actor Parineeti Chopra (“Saina”) and actor and musician Harrdy Sandhu (“’83”) star in “Code Name: Tiranga.” An espionage action thriller, “Code Name: Tiranga” is the story of a spy on an unfaltering and fearless mission for her nation in a race against time where sacrifice is her only choice. Chopra plays an Indian
Set to be unveiled at this week’s San Sebastian Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum, “Bajo el Mismo Sol” has secured a first co-production deal ahead of the festival. Argentina’ Pucará Cine has boarded the project, reteaming with lead producer Wooden Boat Productions in the Dominican Republican on director Ulises Porra’s third feature. Both production companies co-produced Porra’s
Vying for the top Gold Shell at the 70th San Sebastian Film Festival, Basque native Mikel Gurrea’s debut feature “Suro” stems from Gurrea’s experience working in the cork forests north of Catalonia. He had just finished his studies and was at a loss when his then girlfriend’s parents suggested he work in the forests where they
San Sebastian’s pix-in-post showcases, which have launched notable movies – Sebastian Lelio’s “Gloria” – and notable directors – Jayro Bustamante, introducing his debut “Ixcanul” – unspools in 2022, with the screenings of six WIP Latam titles taking place over Sept. 19 – 21. WIP Europe, with four titles, runs on Sept. 19 and 20. In
Comedy drama film “Give Me Five” held on to the top spot at the mainland Chinese box office with a weekend score of just $7.4 million (RMB50.8 million). The film is the story of a young man who is helping his father rediscover his lost memories. As he does so, he is transported back in
SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers through Episode 5 of ‘House of the Dragon,’ which aired on HBO on Sept. 18 and is streaming on HBO Max. Emily Carey isn’t here for any Alicent Hightower slander. The 19-year-old “House of the Dragon” star knows her character may not immediately win hearts — the idea of your
For the second weekend running, comedy action film “Confidential Assignment 2: International” held top spot at the South Korean box office. And it did so with a massive 75% share of the market. But as the Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) holiday retreated into the rear-view mirror numbers, both for the sequel film and the nationwide box
LeAnn Rimes has been “Blue” about a few things lately, but not about a boy. On her new album, “God’s Work,” her 19th studio album, the singer deals with the darker sides of religion and the patriarchy —areas in which, for her, there’s some overlap — on top of a general pandemic-induced anxiety informing some
Another “Boy Meets World” mystery was solved during a recent episode of the rewatch podcast, “Pod Meets World.” Trina McGee, who portrayed Angela Moore during the final three seasons of the sitcom, revealed why she wasn’t part of the series finale. “This is some ground we have not covered. I was told, in kind of