German production outfit MMC Studios (“Amelie”) is backing romanic drama “Dear Eszter,” from writer/director Alex Balassa. Bastian Griese and Lucas Hamacher will produce the film for MMC Studios in Cologne, alongside Balassa. The film’s co-producers include Peter Seres (“World War Z”) at Hungary’s Punk Films, as well as Ondrej Beranek (“The Chronicles of Narnia”) from
Spanish producers taking part in a Spanish content showcase at the Berlinale Series Market on Monday debated what was jokingly referred to as the “devil’s bargain” offered by major streaming platforms that are propelling Spanish shows around the globe often at the cost of IP ownership. Álex de la Iglesia of Madrid-based production powerhouse
The Copenhagen Intl. Documentary Film Festival, also known as CPH:DOX, has unveiled the full program of its 20th edition, which includes 200 new films, more than half of which are world premieres, sealing CPH:DOX’s reputation as one of the leading events of its kind in Europe. For the first time, all 13 films competing for
Shout! Studios has acquired U.S. and Canada rights to Studiocanal and Working Title’s cross-cultural British romantic comedy “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” with a view to releasing it in late spring, it was revealed at Berlin’s European Film Market on Tuesday. Directed by veteran Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur (“Elizabeth”), “What’s Love Got to Do With It?”
Banijay’s Endemol Shine Israel and Munich-based producer Neuesuper (“8 Days”) have inked German adaptation rights to Israeli hit comedy series “Nevsu,” to air on public broadcaster ZDF. Israel’s “Nevsu” won the International Emmy Award for best comedy series in 2018. Its German adaptation, “I Don’t Work Here,” sees three generations from two worlds come together
Crime shows look for a new angle, argued Berlinale Series participants on Monday. There is no shortage of new offerings, from Berlinale Market Selects’ “Two Sides of the Abyss,” Serbia’s “The Fall” or South Africa’s “Donkerbos,” created by Nico Scheepers, to China’s melancholic, decades-spanning “Why Try to Change Me Now,” with Golden Bear winner Yinan
ZDF Studios has signed a deal to distribute the second season of the remake of the iconic Spanish horror series “Stories to Stay Awake” (“Historias Para No Dormir”). The series is a reboot of the classic series created by Spain’s Chicho Ibáñez Serrador in the 1960s which proved a milestone in Spanish horror, introducing Spain
Berlinale’s Co-Pro Series title “Tipping Point” heads to the end of the world – Svalbard – to tell a story of a young activist at war with her oil exec father, until he is murdered. Chasing a piece of stolen software which can be used either to destroy the world or improve it, just like the
Singapore-based film marketing and distribution firm Continental Entertainment Pte. Ltd. (CEPL), which holds global distribution rights for Bangladeshi auteur Mostofa Sarwar Farooki’s “Saturday Afternoon,” will release the film in the U.S. and Canada through Reliance Entertainment. The Bengali-and-English-language film takes its cue from the brutal terrorist attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka in
Nikolaj Lie Kaas’ series “Agent,” shown at Berlinale Series, centers around Joe, who has high hopes for his famous clients. But it’s not another remake of a certain French smash. “I started writing it before ‘Call My Agent!’ even came out. Then I saw it on Netflix and went: ‘Oh, for f**k’s sake…’,” Danish actor-turned-director
First-time writer-director Malika Musaeva is set to make history at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, where her female-centered coming-of-age drama “The Cage is Looking for a Bird” is the first Chechen-language film ever selected by the venerable German fest. Musaeva’s debut, which world premieres Feb. 22 in the festival’s competitive Encounters section, focuses on
“Snow,” an Austrian-German co-production and one of 16 titles presented in the Berlinale Series Market Selects showcase, weaves the timely issue of climate change and local folklore into a suspenseful mystery drama set in the picturesque Austrian Alps. Brigitte Hobmeier stars as Lucia, a physician who with her husband and children moves to the village,
CNN’s morning show isn’t peeling away from Don Lemon. The anchor will return to “CNN This Morning” on Wednesday, despite delivering a set of controversial remarks last week, the latest maneuver in what has become a more difficult than expected effort by the Warner Bros Discovery-backed outlet to shake up its programming. “I sat down
Just weeks after becoming the most-awarded artist in the history of the Grammys, Beyoncé’s reign continued at the 54th annual NAACP Image Awards, where she added three more awards to her trophy case. During Monday night’s non-televised virtual experience, Queen Bey was named this year’s outstanding female artist, while her hit record “Renaissance” won outstanding
“Back to the Future” stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson and Tom Wilson recently reunited to celebrate the beloved film at Fan Expo Portland, which ran from Feb. 17 to Feb. 19. The stars shared their reunion on Instagram, with Thompson posting several photos and videos from the event. “Wow honestly had the
There aren’t many new print publications being launched in this tough media climate, but the company behind TV Guide Magazine is trying just that. The team behind TV Guide Magazine (owned since 2015 by Michigan-based NTVB Media) have launched a new magazine focused on the TV streaming platforms, hitting newsstands this week. The new monthly
Barbara Bosson, an Emmy-nominated actor known for her role as Fay Furillo on “Hill Street Blues,” died Saturday in Los Angeles. She was 83 years old. Bosson’s death was confirmed by her son, Jesse Bochco. “More spirit and zest than you could shake a stick at. When she loved you, you felt it without a
Political assassinations, war, espionage, royal scandals, teen angst and magic: new German series are setting the bar ever higher in terms of challenging and risky subject matter. The Berlinale Series Market’s Up Next: Germany showcase on Monday presented four forthcoming series projects that look set to entice international buyers: Sperl Film’s political drama “Herrhausen –
The stars are aligning on political thriller “The Chauffeur’s Son,” a six-part series from acclaimed Spanish creative duo Isaki Lacuesta and Isa Campo. It is one of five projects that has pulled down a muscular €1.5 million ($1.6 million) grant from Catalonia’s ICEC film-TV aimed at ensuring potential production partners that the series can bring
Stars have been a theme throughout Pentatonix’s career. The a cappella group covered Nicki Minaj’s “Starships” early on, performed “Stars” from the musical “Finding Neverland,” and named their holiday television special “Christmas Under the Stars.” So it’s only fitting that the group — comprised of Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Mitch Grassi, Kevin Olusola and Matt
Lil Baby‘s attempt to allegedly “work” with Chrisean Rock is backfiring … with Blueface now claiming the “4PF” rapper was actually texting him instead of his intended target. The messy social media exchange exploded after Blueface put Baby’s text message to Chrisean on blast … with Baby maintaining his innocence by claiming he was merely
In “Golda,” Helen Mirren, acting with deft skill and control beneath one of those startling transformative prosthetic makeup jobs, portrays Golda Meir during the three-week cataclysm of the Yom Kippur War, which shook Israel to its bones in the fall of 1973. As the actor stands (or, more often, stoops) before us, we can believe
Prosecutors have dropped a five-year gun enhancement against Alec Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, after the defendants argued that the law did not apply at the time of the shooting on the set “Rust.” Baldwin, the film’s star, and Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer, now face a maximum sentence of only 18 months if convicted of involuntary manslaughter
Elsa Zylberstein, one of the most famous – and bankable — faces of French cinema, known for her Cesar-winning performance in “I’ve Loved You For So Long,” is preparing to emerge as a major film producer. Having recently set up banners in France and the U.S., Zylberstein is actively developing a raft of films and
“Bridgerton’s” Nicola Coughlan and “It’s a Sin’s” Lydia West are set to co-star in a new comedy for Channel 4 titled “Big Mood” (working title). The show, which was previously titled “Super Close,” will be produced by Fremantle’s Dancing Ledge Productions. It was written and created by Camilla Whitehill (“Porters”). “Brooklyn Nine Nine” director Rebecca
Croatian-Ukrainian crime drama “The Silence,” whose first season sold wide last year for Munich-based Beta Film, is heading to Kyiv for Season 2, Variety can reveal. The series is based on the critically acclaimed fact-based books by investigative journalist Drago Hedl that examine human and weapons trafficking throughout Eastern Europe. The first season spent 25
“Here we go again.” That’s what I thought to myself as it slowly but surely became evident that, once again, the BAFTAs were going to end with every single winner being white. Cue the exasperated sighs. In the wake of the first trending #BAFTAsSoWhite hashtag eight years ago, BAFTA made a pledge to review its
For the last 60 years, it’s been hard to see Joan Baez as anything other than a saintly figure, or certainly, at the least, a beatifically placid one. Early on in the new documentary “Joan Baez I Am a Noise,” over shots of its subject being swarmed by fans at the height of her early-‘60s
The Santa Fe County D.A. has gotta be a little embarrassed today … dropping a key charge against Alec Baldwin that now means even if convicted he might not spend any time behind bars. The D.A. dropped the gun enhancement charge in the case … this after Baldwin’s lawyer filed a motion excoriating prosecutors for
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. The Targaryen family is officially getting the Funko treatment with a new Digital Pop! collection inspired by “House of the Dragon.” The virtual Funko lineup, which includes animated versions of Daemon, Rhaenyra and Viserys