Going into Berlin’s European Film Market, Spain’s biggest sales agents are under no illusion just how tough international markets have become. “Paradoxically, in one of the best moments for Spanish productions, we are finding that some of our top dramas are getting hard to sell unless selected in Cannes, Venice or Berlin,” says Latido Films
It may not match last year’s sheer quantity in competition strands, but Spain still boasts a high quality presence at the Berlinale. Following, highlights the festival and EFM: “Every You Every Me,” (Michael Fetter Nathansky) A factory worker strives to reconnect with her distant husband, exploring the rediscovery of love within the complexities of relationships. From
Brazil’s film industry hits Berlin with a new stride in its step, bringing 46 producers and 80-plus films and projects, according to promotional org Cinema do Brasil, led by chairman André Sturm and manager, Maria Marta. It is also in the process of receiving part of Brazil’s Paulo Gustavo Law funding, which is pouring RS2.8
Top Brazilian titles at the Berlin Festival and EFM: “Betânia,” (Marcelo Botta) Botta’s feature debut, produced by Salvatore Filmes, associate produced by Ventre Studio, selected for Berlin’s Panorama. Set in stunning but barren Brazilian sand dunes, Betânia, 65, rebuilds amid global collapse. After losing her husband to a salty diet common in electricity-deprived areas, she seeks solace
Sebastian Stan corrected a journalist at the Berlin Film Festival press conference for his new film, the psychological thriller “A Different Man,” when they used insensitive language to describe a character with facial disfigurement. The film follows Edward (Stan), who, after undergoing facial surgery, becomes fixated on another man playing him in a stage production
All3Media has finally been sold. Redbird IMI has snapped up the production-distribution giant behind “The Traitors” and Jamie Dornan-starrer “The Tourist” from owners Liberty Global and Warner Bros. Discovery for $1.45 billion. An investment group run by Jeff Zucker and former Goldman Sachs banker Gerry Cardinale, Redbird IMI recently revealed plans to acquire the U.K.’s Telegraph newspaper
Variety veteran Todd Spangler has been promoted to Business Editor, overseeing coverage of corporate and financial news, mergers and acquisitions and other deal activity for media and entertainment’s largest conglomerates. Spangler will also continue to drive Variety‘s coverage of digital media and Silicon Valley tech giants. Based in New York, Spangler is a pillar of
Primary Wave Music has announced a partnership with the heirs of a producer behind the legendary dance-music group the Village People that involves a stake in the outfit’s brand, master recordings and publishing assets. Songs included in the partnership are such dancefloor icons as “Y.M.C.A.,” “Macho Man,” “In the Navy,” “Go West” and more. Full
As the Israel-Hamas war continues to rage in Gaza, repercussions are being felt at the Berlinale, which looks to be one of the most politically charged editions in recent history. Several filmmakers have already canceled their participation to the festival in protest of Germany’s attitude towards Palestinian voices, while more than 50 Berlinale workers have
A new film industry superclass is emerging in Spain: movies powered or co-backed by its streaming giants. Perhaps the biggest example, Netflix Spain’s Andes flight disaster “Society of the Snow,” scored two Academy Award nominations last month. Now, in the run-up to Berlin, London-based Film Constellation has acquired most world sales rights to “The Captive,”
“The Outrun,” the adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s deeply raw and lyrical 2016 memoir about addiction, recovery and nature, premiered in Sundance this year to stellar reviews, with many awards prophets already suggesting that the film could take Saoirse Ronan — who stars in and produces the film — back to the Oscars in 2025. For producer Sarah
It turns out the track list for Taylor Swift‘s upcoming album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” wasn’t fully revealed yet, at least not for every edition. A different deluxe edition than the previous deluxe edition was announced Friday morning, featuring not just alternate cover art but a different exclusive track: a previously unannounced song called “The
BERLIN — In a bellwether deal on one of the cutting edges of European TV, ZDF Studios has taken distribution worldwide on drama series “The Zweiflers,” produced by Turbokultur for ARD Degeto Film and Hessischer Rundfunk (HR). Created and showrun by David Hadda, the six-part series will premiere in Germany on ARD’s Mediathek streaming service
Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition leader and subject of the Oscar-winning 2022 documentary “Navalny,” died in jail on Friday, according to Russia’s state prison service. He was 47. The Associated Press reported that Russia’s Federal Prison Service said in a statement that Navalny “felt unwell after a walk on Friday and lost consciousness.” Emergency services
A GoFundMe page set up for the family of Lisa Lopez-Galvan, the woman killed in a mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory parade, has caught the attention of Taylor Swift, who made donations on the page totaling $100,000 early Friday morning. The “Elizabeth Lopez-Galvan Memorial” page was set up Thursday afternoon, with a
In January, when Netflix unveiled its slate of Chinese-language original productions for 2024, all of them turned out to be Taiwanese. Not Chinese. And not from Hong Kong, a territory that once produced over 300 movies a year in multiple Chinese dialects. That’s because, as China has made business dealings harder for Western entertainment and
Christopher Nolan is in the market to make a horror film, provided there is a good enough idea. Nolan was speaking at an in-conversation event at at London’s British Film Institute (BFI) on Thursday, attended by a rapt, sold-out audience. In response to a question from an audience member whether he would consider making a
FilmSharks has taken world sales rights outside Spain to “The Bus of Life,” next up from Arcadia Motion Pictures, producer of Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s Cesar and Goya winner “The Beasts” and Neon U.S. pick-up “Robot Dreams,” nominated last month for a best animated feature Academy Award. The production and sales company has also revealed first look
Culturally pluralistic and gender-diverse Taiwan is the backdrop for “The Chronicles of Libidoists,” a new film by Gilles Yang, a director whose three previous films have also explored the erotic. The story is inspired by “The Little Mermaid,” the traditional fairy tale in which a mermaid princess falls in love with a human prince. But
U.K. sales and distribution outfit Blue Finch Films has boarded worldwide rights to thriller “Cold Wallet.” In the film, after losing everything in a cryptocurrency scam, a ragtag team of vigilante Redditors attempt to kidnap the kingpin who cheated them But when the home invasion takes a turn for the worst, they become victims in
Pink Parrot Media, the Montreal and Madrid-based international sales house, has revealed a flurry of deals for the German-Canadian CG animated fantasy feature “Elli and Her Monster Team!,” which is making its market premiere at the EFM. Underlining the appetite for toon family features by European distributors, the film has been sold to Just Entertainment
Pulsar Content has closed major deals on “Niki,” a biopic of French-American artist Niki de Saint-Phalle. “Niki” marks the feature debut of popular French actor Céline Sallette and stars Charlotte Le Bon (“The Walk” “Saint-Laurent”) as de Saint-Phalle. Pulsar closed deals with Neue Visionen (Germany), Movies Inspired (Italy), Paradiso (Benelux), Praessens (Switzerland), Vercine (Spain), Magic Films (CIS), Best Films (Baltics), Shaw
K5 Intl., the international sales arm of K5 Media Group, has acquired world sales rights excluding North America to “Stay Online,” a tense Ukraine war drama that was entirely shot in the Eastern European country after the Russian invasion, the company announced at the European Film Market. The film, which debuted last year at Montreal’s
MetFilm Sales has secured international rights to “The Battle for Laikipia,” Daphne Matziaraki and Peter Murimi’s multi-layered portrait of the conflict between Indigenous pastoralists and white landowners in Kenya. The film had its world premiere as part of the World Cinema Documentary section at the Sundance Film Festival. Submarine Entertainment Sales negotiated the deal with
Copenhagen-based TrustNordisk has inked multiple deals on the Danish thriller “Boundless,” based on Jussi Adler-Olsen’s “Department Q” novel, which is currently dominating the Danish box office. Ahead of the pic’s market screening Feb 17 at the Berlin European Film Market, the title, helmed by Ole Christian Madsen (“Banshee,” “Flame & Citron”) has sold to Wild
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched the Season 3 premiere of “Ghosts,” titled “The Owl,” which aired Feb. 15 on CBS. Flower, hopefully you’re finally getting to cuddle a few bears up there in the sky. Yes, you read that right: There’s one less ghost on “Ghosts,” as the characters
India’s Sandeep Singh will direct “The Pride of Bharat – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,” a biopic of revered 17th century Indian ruler Shivaji Bhonsle. Singh has produced several acclaimed films including Toronto title, boxing biopic “Mary Kom” (2014), Asia Pacific Screen Awards-winning gay rights drama “Aligarh” (2015) and slum soccer film “Jhund” (2022). He made his
Aquarius Releasing founder Terence “Terry” Levene, who released dozens of B-movies in grindhouse theaters in the 1970s and ’80s and beyond, died Jan. 13 in Englewood, NJ. He was 90. After working at Commonwealth United, Levene started Aquarius Releasing, which released genre films ranging from kung fu to sci-fi and far beyond and serve as
Is country radio an easy, inevitable home for Beyoncé‘s new single, “Texas Hold ‘Em”? That’s what some top radio executives are saying, contrary to some early speculation about how a crossover record from the superstar might fare. Although these execs point out that it will be up to listeners to ultimately decide, they’re saying that
Ridley Scott is in talks to direct Paramount’s Bee Gees film. Scott will produce the currently-untitled film alongside Graham King for GK Films, Stacey Snider, and Michael Pruss for Scott Free. John Logan, who wrote Scott’s 2000 epic “Gladiator,” will pen the script. Paramount Pictures is distributing the film worldwide with Amblin and SISTER