A Quiet Place: Day One is the highly anticipated prequel film to John Krasinski‘s sci-fi film franchise A Quite Place. Written and directed by Michael Sarnoski, the apocalyptic horror film shows us the day when the aliens in A Quiet Place franchise invaded Earth, and instead of the Abbott family, we see the story of a terminally ill woman who tries to survive in New York City with her cat and an English law student named Eric. A Quiet Place: Day One stars Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn in the lead roles, with Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou, Eliane Umuhire, and Nico & Schnitzel starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the intense survival thriller and alien invasion elements in A Quiet Place: Day One, here are some similar films you could watch next.
A Quiet Place Part I & Part II (Paramount+ & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Paramount Pictures
While...
A Quiet Place Part I & Part II (Paramount+ & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Paramount Pictures
While...
- 7/6/2024
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
One of the most surprising franchises in recent years, A Quiet Place: Day One brings the franchise back to theaters. The third film inside a decade, John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, and now Lupita N’yongo, has proven it’s got staying power. There’s a lot to like about the franchise, so much so that a few similar movies and shows have reached for similar material. A few of these movies existed or were in production alongside A Quiet Place. Yet their similarity speaks to Hollywood’s never-ending willingness to push out movies with similar themes and ideas simultaneously.
Suggested“I wanted to focus on that”: A Quiet Place: Day One Director Owes a Lot to Nicolas Cage That Made John Krasinski Handpick Him for the Spinoff The Silence (2019)
Unfortunately for The Silence, the Stanley Tucci and Kiernan Shipka starring movie forces its audience to imagine a world where sound attracts monsters.
Suggested“I wanted to focus on that”: A Quiet Place: Day One Director Owes a Lot to Nicolas Cage That Made John Krasinski Handpick Him for the Spinoff The Silence (2019)
Unfortunately for The Silence, the Stanley Tucci and Kiernan Shipka starring movie forces its audience to imagine a world where sound attracts monsters.
- 7/1/2024
- by Alan French
- FandomWire
There are two types of horror movie enthusiasts: those who are looking for something genuinely scary and live for the adrenaline rush of watching it, and those who are constantly looking for something so unbelievably creepy that it makes the movie oddly entertaining but not scary at all. Luckily, both groups can find what they are looking for on Netflix.
Here's the list of 5 horror movies that will make you leave the lights on when you go to sleep, and 5 that can only be hated, all rated and ranked by their scores on Rotten Tomatoes. Just pick the one that suits your interests.
Best: Gerald's Game (2017) - 91%
When a couple arrives at an isolated location to spend a weekend together, nothing seems like it can go wrong. However, as the husband suffers a sudden heart attack and dies in bed, leaving his wife handcuffed to the bed with no key and no hope for rescue,...
Here's the list of 5 horror movies that will make you leave the lights on when you go to sleep, and 5 that can only be hated, all rated and ranked by their scores on Rotten Tomatoes. Just pick the one that suits your interests.
Best: Gerald's Game (2017) - 91%
When a couple arrives at an isolated location to spend a weekend together, nothing seems like it can go wrong. However, as the husband suffers a sudden heart attack and dies in bed, leaving his wife handcuffed to the bed with no key and no hope for rescue,...
- 5/7/2024
- by virginia-singh@startefacts.com (Virginia Singh)
- STartefacts.com
Writer/director Lindsey Anderson Beer’s Pet Sematary prequel Pet Sematary: Bloodlines didn’t go over well with a lot of genre fans – including myself – but it was a big success for the Paramount+ streaming service. As The Hollywood Reporter notes, “The movie debuted as the No. 1 title on Paramount+ and quickly broke the streamer’s record for the most-watched Paramount+ original movie within the first 30 days of a film’s release in the U.S.” So it’s no surprise that Paramount has renewed their first-look deal with Anderson Beer and her production banner Lab Brew, allowing the filmmaker to continue developing a slate of projects for the studio. This slate includes the new version of Sleepy Hollow that Beer was said to be working on back in 2022.
Here’s what’s on the Lab Brew slate, as reported by THR: Here Comes the Dark, a supernatural thriller written...
Here’s what’s on the Lab Brew slate, as reported by THR: Here Comes the Dark, a supernatural thriller written...
- 4/22/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
In the history of Rod Serling's original run of "The Twilight Zone," the season 2 episode "The Silence" sticks out like a sore thumb. The episode in no way falls under the categories of science fiction or fantasy, instead opting to tell a disturbingly human story about an extreme bet between two men. Wealthy Archie (Franchot Tone) bets fellow men's club member — and known chatterbox — Jamie (Liam Sullivan) that he can't spend a year in silence.
The episode unfolds in an odd and surprising but never unbelievable fashion. Jamie accepts the bet, hoping to win $500,000 (about 5 million dollars today). In an attempt to surveil his colleague and prevent cheating, Archie erects a public glass room in which Jamie will be trapped for the year. Archie also spends much of his time taunting Jamie with lies about his wife, but Jamie doesn't fall for the low blow. At year's end, Archie...
The episode unfolds in an odd and surprising but never unbelievable fashion. Jamie accepts the bet, hoping to win $500,000 (about 5 million dollars today). In an attempt to surveil his colleague and prevent cheating, Archie erects a public glass room in which Jamie will be trapped for the year. Archie also spends much of his time taunting Jamie with lies about his wife, but Jamie doesn't fall for the low blow. At year's end, Archie...
- 12/30/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Former Universal Pictures executive Paul Chesney has announced the creation of Riyadh-based production company Red Palm Pictures on the eve of Saudi Arabia’s third Red Sea International Film Festival.
Chesney has been appointed CEO of the new, privately-owned production company, which will develop and produce original feature film, TV and documentary content for theatrical and streaming release in Mena and around the world.
The public announcement of the new production banner comes hot on the heels of the launch of sister distribution company TwentyOne Entertainment, which is also headed by Chesney and will run under the same roof.
In a first major content signing, Red Palm Pictures has struck a multi-picture development deal with Saudi writer and director Tawfik Alzaidi.
Alzaidi’s debut feature Norah is due to world premiere in Competition at the upcoming Red Sea Film Festival, running November 30 to December 9, with TwentyOne Entertainment handling international sales.
Chesney has been appointed CEO of the new, privately-owned production company, which will develop and produce original feature film, TV and documentary content for theatrical and streaming release in Mena and around the world.
The public announcement of the new production banner comes hot on the heels of the launch of sister distribution company TwentyOne Entertainment, which is also headed by Chesney and will run under the same roof.
In a first major content signing, Red Palm Pictures has struck a multi-picture development deal with Saudi writer and director Tawfik Alzaidi.
Alzaidi’s debut feature Norah is due to world premiere in Competition at the upcoming Red Sea Film Festival, running November 30 to December 9, with TwentyOne Entertainment handling international sales.
- 11/27/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
New Riyadh-based acquisition and distribution company TwentyOne Entertainment has announced its launch at upcoming the Red Sea International Film Festival, which is due to unfold in the port city of in Jeddah from November 30 to December 9.
The fledgeling company has appointed long-time Universal Pictures exec Paul Chesney, whose last position there was EVP Global Operations out of L.A., as its CEO.
On its first outing the company will be focusing on international sales for writer-director Tawfik Alzaidi first feature’s Norah, which was announced as a contender in the festival’s main competition on Monday.
Described as a “deeply moving story about the power of art to inspire and change minds”, the movie is set in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s. Rising actor Yaqoub Alfarhan (Rashash) stars as a newly qualified teacher who is posted to a remote village, where he meets Norah, played by newcomer Maria Bahrawi.
Her...
The fledgeling company has appointed long-time Universal Pictures exec Paul Chesney, whose last position there was EVP Global Operations out of L.A., as its CEO.
On its first outing the company will be focusing on international sales for writer-director Tawfik Alzaidi first feature’s Norah, which was announced as a contender in the festival’s main competition on Monday.
Described as a “deeply moving story about the power of art to inspire and change minds”, the movie is set in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s. Rising actor Yaqoub Alfarhan (Rashash) stars as a newly qualified teacher who is posted to a remote village, where he meets Norah, played by newcomer Maria Bahrawi.
Her...
- 11/7/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
HBO Max has acquired Central and Eastern Europe rights to “I Know Your Soul,” the crime drama series by Oscar-nominated Bosnian filmmaker Jasmila Žbanić. The show, which world premiered at the Venice Film Festival, is currently playing as part of the Agora Series TV strand of the Thessaloniki Film Festival.
Also included in the deal, which was brokered by Munich-based production and distribution outfit Beta Film, is the Serbian thriller “Children of Evil,” based on the best-selling novel by Miodrag Majić.
Further negotiations with key European buyers are underway for both shows.
“I Know Your Soul” is a six-episode limited series, written, directed and produced by Žbanić, who also serves as showrunner. The cast is led by European Film Award-winning actor Jasna Đuričić, who plays Nevena Murtezic, a prosecutor in the process of divorce and single mother to a teenage son. The case of an adolescent’s suicide triggers an...
Also included in the deal, which was brokered by Munich-based production and distribution outfit Beta Film, is the Serbian thriller “Children of Evil,” based on the best-selling novel by Miodrag Majić.
Further negotiations with key European buyers are underway for both shows.
“I Know Your Soul” is a six-episode limited series, written, directed and produced by Žbanić, who also serves as showrunner. The cast is led by European Film Award-winning actor Jasna Đuričić, who plays Nevena Murtezic, a prosecutor in the process of divorce and single mother to a teenage son. The case of an adolescent’s suicide triggers an...
- 11/7/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Horror fans have been blessed with a bold new generation of Scream Queens, from “Wednesday” star Jenna Ortega to Mia Goth of “X” and “Pearl,” to “Yellowjackets” stars Jasmin Savoy Brown and Sophie Thatcher, not to mention the women of “Fear Street,” Stranger Things” and Mike Flanagan’s deliciously spooky “Haunting of…” Netflix series.
Here’s some of our favorite final girls — and vicious villains — from recent horror films and TV series.
(Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Jenna Ortega
The Emmy-nominated “Wednesday” actress, who’s so good at being bad as the Addams Family character, also starred as Tara Carpenter in fifth and sixth “Scream” movies and Ti West’s ’70s slasher “X.” And she’s in Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice” sequel, which is set to be released in September 2024.
(Sebastian Reuter/Getty Images)
Mia Goth
One of the busiest and most booked actresses in the genre has drawn raves for her roles in “X,...
Here’s some of our favorite final girls — and vicious villains — from recent horror films and TV series.
(Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Jenna Ortega
The Emmy-nominated “Wednesday” actress, who’s so good at being bad as the Addams Family character, also starred as Tara Carpenter in fifth and sixth “Scream” movies and Ti West’s ’70s slasher “X.” And she’s in Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice” sequel, which is set to be released in September 2024.
(Sebastian Reuter/Getty Images)
Mia Goth
One of the busiest and most booked actresses in the genre has drawn raves for her roles in “X,...
- 10/31/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
India’s Film Bazaar, South Asia’s largest film market, has selected a range of projects from around the world for its annual co-production market.
The 20 selected projects are from 11 countries, most are already structured as co-productions, and they are all South Asian-themed. From Israel, the Hebrew-language “Raju” by Dror Sabo (“Dead End”), will be produced by Lee Yardeni for My TV Productions (“Nevelot”). Rafael Kapelinski, director of Berlinale winner “Butterfly Kisses,” is at the market with English, German and Hindi-language Germany-India-France-Poland-u.K. co-production “The Distant Near,” produced by Katharina Suckale for Bombay Berlin Film Production (“Loev”).
Hindi-language Germany-Luxembourg-France co-production “Kohinoor,” by Udita Bhargava (Berlinale selection “Dust”), will be produced by Martin Lehwald for Schiwago Film (Berlinale winner “Styx”). Fresh off Busan’s Asian Project Market, feature debutant Aakash Chhabra’s Hindi-language “I’ll Smile in September” will be produced by Sanjay Gulati for India’s Crawling Angel Films and...
The 20 selected projects are from 11 countries, most are already structured as co-productions, and they are all South Asian-themed. From Israel, the Hebrew-language “Raju” by Dror Sabo (“Dead End”), will be produced by Lee Yardeni for My TV Productions (“Nevelot”). Rafael Kapelinski, director of Berlinale winner “Butterfly Kisses,” is at the market with English, German and Hindi-language Germany-India-France-Poland-u.K. co-production “The Distant Near,” produced by Katharina Suckale for Bombay Berlin Film Production (“Loev”).
Hindi-language Germany-Luxembourg-France co-production “Kohinoor,” by Udita Bhargava (Berlinale selection “Dust”), will be produced by Martin Lehwald for Schiwago Film (Berlinale winner “Styx”). Fresh off Busan’s Asian Project Market, feature debutant Aakash Chhabra’s Hindi-language “I’ll Smile in September” will be produced by Sanjay Gulati for India’s Crawling Angel Films and...
- 10/26/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
One of the films Netflix is pinning its awards hopes on this year, “Nyad,” is facing criticism amid continuing accusations about the swimmer Diana Nyad’s 2013 Cuba-to-Florida swim and questions about her character and credibility.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the biopic, the narrative feature debut of documentary filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and “Free Solo” Oscar winner Jimmy Chin that is debuting at Telluride this week, has generated vociferous complaints online from the world of marathon swimming and resurfaced questions over her most famous accomplishment, the 110-mile swim across the shark-infested Florida Straits.
With Annette Benning as Nyad and Jodie Foster as her close friend Bonnie Stoll, the film is considered one of Netflix’s biggest contenders for an Oscar.
But right from the beginning, the 110-mile swim, which Nyad completed in her fourth attempt, raised questions. The World Open Water Swimming Association., one of the sport’s two main global organizations,...
The Los Angeles Times reported that the biopic, the narrative feature debut of documentary filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and “Free Solo” Oscar winner Jimmy Chin that is debuting at Telluride this week, has generated vociferous complaints online from the world of marathon swimming and resurfaced questions over her most famous accomplishment, the 110-mile swim across the shark-infested Florida Straits.
With Annette Benning as Nyad and Jodie Foster as her close friend Bonnie Stoll, the film is considered one of Netflix’s biggest contenders for an Oscar.
But right from the beginning, the 110-mile swim, which Nyad completed in her fourth attempt, raised questions. The World Open Water Swimming Association., one of the sport’s two main global organizations,...
- 8/31/2023
- by Eileen AJ Connelly
- The Wrap
A pulse-pounding, pulled-from-the-headlines story of political intrigue set against the backdrop of Europe’s green revolution is at the heart of “Greater Adria,” an ambitious, pan-European co-production being prepped by some of the continent’s top independent TV producers.
The series, co-created by Nebojša Taraba and Simona Nobile, is produced by Taraba for Croatia’s Drugi Plan, Peter Nadermann of Germany’s Nadcon Film and Marco de Angelis for Italy’s Fabula Pictures. Also on board is Belgian distribution and production outfit Lumiere, the leading distributor in the Benelux region, while public broadcasters Hrt from Croatia and Rtv of Slovenia are among the financiers.
“Greater Adria” begins with a trans-national European green party calling for a referendum to ban all present and future exploitation of oil and gas in the Adriatic Sea. But the unexplained death of a well-known Italian scientist in the coastal town of Rijeka fuels suspicion of a sprawling international conspiracy.
The series, co-created by Nebojša Taraba and Simona Nobile, is produced by Taraba for Croatia’s Drugi Plan, Peter Nadermann of Germany’s Nadcon Film and Marco de Angelis for Italy’s Fabula Pictures. Also on board is Belgian distribution and production outfit Lumiere, the leading distributor in the Benelux region, while public broadcasters Hrt from Croatia and Rtv of Slovenia are among the financiers.
“Greater Adria” begins with a trans-national European green party calling for a referendum to ban all present and future exploitation of oil and gas in the Adriatic Sea. But the unexplained death of a well-known Italian scientist in the coastal town of Rijeka fuels suspicion of a sprawling international conspiracy.
- 8/15/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
The mockbuster industry is a fascinating entity. Chief among the studios that specialize in mockbusters (ie. low-budget knockoffs of popular studio titles) is The Asylum, the company behind the "Sharkando" films. In 2023 alone, The Asylum has released a riff on "Cocaine Bear" titled "Attack of the Meth Gator," the latest installment in its "Transformers" ripoff franchise, "Transmorphers: Mech Beasts," and its own animated version of "The Little Mermaid" featuring the voices of Steve Guttenberg and "E.T." star Dee Wallace. And they say cinema is dead!
Shane Van Dyke, the grandson of acting legend Dick Van Dyke, got his start as a writer on the mockbuster circuit, penning films like "Titanic II," "Paranormal Entity," and "Transmorphers: Fall of Man" for The Asylum in the late aughts. Around that same time, he also teamed up with his brother, Carey Van Dyke, to co-pen the studio's "Street Racer" -- a riff on the "Fast & Furious" films,...
Shane Van Dyke, the grandson of acting legend Dick Van Dyke, got his start as a writer on the mockbuster circuit, penning films like "Titanic II," "Paranormal Entity," and "Transmorphers: Fall of Man" for The Asylum in the late aughts. Around that same time, he also teamed up with his brother, Carey Van Dyke, to co-pen the studio's "Street Racer" -- a riff on the "Fast & Furious" films,...
- 8/6/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Beta Film has sold more than 100 hours of drama series to PBS Distribution-backed Walter Presents for the U.S., and Channel 4-backed Walter Presents for the U.K.
Five seasons of Italy’s gritty crime series “Rocco Schiavone” as well as Canadian mystery dramas “The Wall – The Chateau Murder” and “The Wall – The Orchard” will be available in both territories.
Included in the package of series for the U.S. only is the historical period drama “House of Promises.”
Among the titles bound for the U.K. only are the Spanish thriller “You Shall Not Lie,” and the Croatian-Ukrainian co-production “The Silence.”
Set in a remote Alpine region, crime series “Rocco Schiavone,” based on the bestselling novels by Antonio Manzini, follows the titular irascible deputy police chief. The series is produced by Rai Fiction and Cross Productions in association with Beta Film.
“The Wall – The Orchard” follows investigator...
Five seasons of Italy’s gritty crime series “Rocco Schiavone” as well as Canadian mystery dramas “The Wall – The Chateau Murder” and “The Wall – The Orchard” will be available in both territories.
Included in the package of series for the U.S. only is the historical period drama “House of Promises.”
Among the titles bound for the U.K. only are the Spanish thriller “You Shall Not Lie,” and the Croatian-Ukrainian co-production “The Silence.”
Set in a remote Alpine region, crime series “Rocco Schiavone,” based on the bestselling novels by Antonio Manzini, follows the titular irascible deputy police chief. The series is produced by Rai Fiction and Cross Productions in association with Beta Film.
“The Wall – The Orchard” follows investigator...
- 7/27/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
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Hey Netflix lovers, I’m generally not the sort of person who likes to say, “I told you so,” but…
I told you so.
Wednesday, I posted a column noting how Netflix’s descriptors — the one- or two-sentence blurbs that are supposed to help subscribers decide whether or not they might want to watch a particular piece of entertainment — have lately become something considerably less than descriptive.
I complained about how they no longer revealed much of anything that was all that useful in deciding whether to hit play on a specific movie or show — you know, like, maybe something about the plot — but instead lamely just listed the actors and director.
Like, for example, a film called “The Silence,” which is described thus: “This 2019 horror film featuring Stanley Tucci and...
Hey Netflix lovers, I’m generally not the sort of person who likes to say, “I told you so,” but…
I told you so.
Wednesday, I posted a column noting how Netflix’s descriptors — the one- or two-sentence blurbs that are supposed to help subscribers decide whether or not they might want to watch a particular piece of entertainment — have lately become something considerably less than descriptive.
I complained about how they no longer revealed much of anything that was all that useful in deciding whether to hit play on a specific movie or show — you know, like, maybe something about the plot — but instead lamely just listed the actors and director.
Like, for example, a film called “The Silence,” which is described thus: “This 2019 horror film featuring Stanley Tucci and...
- 7/7/2023
- by Benjamin Svetkey
- The Wrap
Stars: Greg Hovanessian, Michael Ironside, Dempsey Bryk, Greg Bryk, Noah Dalton Danby, Ted Atherton, Natasha Henstridge | Written by Craig Davidson, Andrew Thomas Hunt | Directed by Andrew Thomas Hunt
The Fight Machine is the second of two very different movies based on novels by Craig Davidson that Raven Banner debuted at this year’s edition of Fantasia. This one is adapted from his novel The Fighter. The other is The Breach, based on the novel of the same name by his perhaps more familiar pseudonym Nick Cutter.
Paul Harris comes from a rich family. He doesn’t have a care in the world until he mouths off to the wrong person and gets beaten bloody. Humiliated, he develops an obsession with bodybuilding and boxing, training under Lou. Rob Tully on the other hand comes from a working-class family and was, according to his father Reuben, born to fight. He trains with...
The Fight Machine is the second of two very different movies based on novels by Craig Davidson that Raven Banner debuted at this year’s edition of Fantasia. This one is adapted from his novel The Fighter. The other is The Breach, based on the novel of the same name by his perhaps more familiar pseudonym Nick Cutter.
Paul Harris comes from a rich family. He doesn’t have a care in the world until he mouths off to the wrong person and gets beaten bloody. Humiliated, he develops an obsession with bodybuilding and boxing, training under Lou. Rob Tully on the other hand comes from a working-class family and was, according to his father Reuben, born to fight. He trains with...
- 6/23/2023
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
Persian helmers Ali Asgari and Alireza Khatami have teamed again to make a movie about what they call “one step forward”. Built in the form of 12 short, completely separated stories that bare the names of their main protagonists, “Terrestrial Verses” shows different situations of oppression, some of them completely absurd and some uncomfortable, with most of them handled with a great dose of deadpan humor.
At the international premiere of their movie in the Uncertain Regard competition program of the festival, Alireza Kathami addressed the packed Debussy theatre with words about the current situation in Iran.
Asian Movie Pulse met the directors to ask them about their idea to make a film out of twelve tableaux, about the inspiration found in old Persian form of poetry, about the importance of humor to battle one's rights and taking that actual one step forward.
Terrestrial Verses is screening at Cannes Official poster...
At the international premiere of their movie in the Uncertain Regard competition program of the festival, Alireza Kathami addressed the packed Debussy theatre with words about the current situation in Iran.
Asian Movie Pulse met the directors to ask them about their idea to make a film out of twelve tableaux, about the inspiration found in old Persian form of poetry, about the importance of humor to battle one's rights and taking that actual one step forward.
Terrestrial Verses is screening at Cannes Official poster...
- 5/26/2023
- by Marina D. Richter
- AsianMoviePulse
“Fai Rumore” is a three-minute song that should have represented the country of Italy in the 2020 installment of the Eurovision Song Contest. The said contest, however, was canceled for obvious reasons, but it came back in 2021. The song had been one of the public’s favorites in the contest that never happened. Below, we will analyze the song to determine what the song was trying to tell, not just to Europe but also to the world. Covid lockdowns On March 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic was starting to spread worldwide, Italy was among the first countries to experience the
Analyzing “Fai Rumore” A Song From The Silence (Eurovision 2020)...
Analyzing “Fai Rumore” A Song From The Silence (Eurovision 2020)...
- 3/11/2023
- by Aron Paul
- TVovermind.com
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 days shooting in the Ukrainian capital. Season 2 will return for three days and be directed remotely, due to the security risk, but will shoot several scenes featuring key Ukrainian cast, including star Kseniya Mishina, as well as some establishing shots. Production in Kyiv is due to wrap Feb. 25.
Nebojša Taraba of Zagreb-based production company Drugi Plan, which produces the show alongside Croatian broadcaster Hrt in collaboration with Beta Film and Ukraine’s Star Media, said the producers had no choice but to give the script for Season 2 a rewrite in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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 days shooting in the Ukrainian capital. Season 2 will return for three days and be directed remotely, due to the security risk, but will shoot several scenes featuring key Ukrainian cast, including star Kseniya Mishina, as well as some establishing shots. Production in Kyiv is due to wrap Feb. 25.
Nebojša Taraba of Zagreb-based production company Drugi Plan, which produces the show alongside Croatian broadcaster Hrt in collaboration with Beta Film and Ukraine’s Star Media, said the producers had no choice but to give the script for Season 2 a rewrite in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
- 2/20/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Stars: Kira Guloien, Oona Chaplin, Ramón Rodríguez, Liane Balaban, Alex Karzis | Written by Alex Greenfield, Ben Powell | Directed by John R. Leonetti
Lullaby is the latest film from genre director John R. Leonetti, This time, working from a script by former WWE writer Alex Greenfield and Ben Powell, who also co-wrote The Sand, he’s unleashing the wrath of Lilith on new parents Rachel and John.
As the film opens the couple gets a package of baby things from Rachel’s mother. They belonged to Rachel’s sister Vivian who lost both her baby and her husband under strange circumstances. Why her mother would send them and why they would actually use them is one of life’s great mysteries.
But use them they do, especially a hymn found in an old book which seems to be the only thing that will calm baby Eli down. It’s not long...
Lullaby is the latest film from genre director John R. Leonetti, This time, working from a script by former WWE writer Alex Greenfield and Ben Powell, who also co-wrote The Sand, he’s unleashing the wrath of Lilith on new parents Rachel and John.
As the film opens the couple gets a package of baby things from Rachel’s mother. They belonged to Rachel’s sister Vivian who lost both her baby and her husband under strange circumstances. Why her mother would send them and why they would actually use them is one of life’s great mysteries.
But use them they do, especially a hymn found in an old book which seems to be the only thing that will calm baby Eli down. It’s not long...
- 12/30/2022
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) and Graham Hughes in Lucasfilm’s ‘Willow’ (Photo © 2022 Lucasfilm Ltd)
Willow – the 1988 fantasy-adventure film directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind) and written by Star Wars creator/auteur George Lucas – is the latest franchise to get a reboot.
Warwick Davis (who worked with Lucas in 1983’s Star Wars: Return of the Jedi) and reprises his role as the titular character from the original film, Willow Ufgood, a Nelwyn farmer/sorcerer, never imagined he would be playing Willow again.
“For years it’s been talked about, not by anyone official but by the fans,” explained Davis. “They’ve constantly pestered me, saying, ‘When are we going to see a sequel to that movie?’ And it’s a question I could never answer.”
Until he met Jonathan Kasdan, on the set of 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story (which Howard directed and Davis cameoed). The younger...
Willow – the 1988 fantasy-adventure film directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind) and written by Star Wars creator/auteur George Lucas – is the latest franchise to get a reboot.
Warwick Davis (who worked with Lucas in 1983’s Star Wars: Return of the Jedi) and reprises his role as the titular character from the original film, Willow Ufgood, a Nelwyn farmer/sorcerer, never imagined he would be playing Willow again.
“For years it’s been talked about, not by anyone official but by the fans,” explained Davis. “They’ve constantly pestered me, saying, ‘When are we going to see a sequel to that movie?’ And it’s a question I could never answer.”
Until he met Jonathan Kasdan, on the set of 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story (which Howard directed and Davis cameoed). The younger...
- 12/5/2022
- by Kurt Anthony Krug
- Showbiz Junkies
Back in February of 2020, right before the world shut down for a while, it was announced that John R. Leonetti, director of the horror films Annabelle, Wolves at the Door, Wish Upon, and The Silence, had signed on to direct the folklore-inspired horror movie Lullaby for Alcon Entertainment, with Game of Thrones‘ Oona Chaplin attached to star. Lullaby has since made its way through production and is now ready to be released. Deadline reports that Vertical Entertainment has acquired the North American distribution rights and will be giving Lullaby a theatrical and VOD release on December 16th.
Scripted by Alex Greenfield and Ben Powell, Lullaby centers on a new mother who discovers a lullaby in an ancient book and soon regards the song as a blessing. But her world transforms into a nightmare when the lullaby brings forth the ancient demon Lilith.
Chaplin is joined in the cast by Ramón Rodríguez...
Scripted by Alex Greenfield and Ben Powell, Lullaby centers on a new mother who discovers a lullaby in an ancient book and soon regards the song as a blessing. But her world transforms into a nightmare when the lullaby brings forth the ancient demon Lilith.
Chaplin is joined in the cast by Ramón Rodríguez...
- 11/17/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
U.S. streaming service Topic has inked an exclusive U.S. and Canadian rights deal with Germany’s Beta Film for four European crime series ahead of this year’s Mipcom TV programming mart in Cannes.
Dedicated to crime and suspense, Topic, part of First Look Entertainment, picked up the third season of critically acclaimed Austrian-German series “Pagan Peak”; Finnish title “Helsinki Syndrome”; “Silent Road” from Greece; and Croatian-Ukrainian co-production “The Silence.”
The agreement also includes renewals of Italian political thriller “1992” and follow-up seasons “1993” and “1994.” Described as Italy’s “House Of Cards,” the show examines how Italian politics were shaken to the core by a major criminal investigation against widespread corruption in the 1990s.
Arriving on the eve of its third anniversary, the deal fortifies Topic’s drive to elevate crime and suspense thrillers from around the globe for its North American subscribers, the company stated.
“Pagan Peak”
Inspired by...
Dedicated to crime and suspense, Topic, part of First Look Entertainment, picked up the third season of critically acclaimed Austrian-German series “Pagan Peak”; Finnish title “Helsinki Syndrome”; “Silent Road” from Greece; and Croatian-Ukrainian co-production “The Silence.”
The agreement also includes renewals of Italian political thriller “1992” and follow-up seasons “1993” and “1994.” Described as Italy’s “House Of Cards,” the show examines how Italian politics were shaken to the core by a major criminal investigation against widespread corruption in the 1990s.
Arriving on the eve of its third anniversary, the deal fortifies Topic’s drive to elevate crime and suspense thrillers from around the globe for its North American subscribers, the company stated.
“Pagan Peak”
Inspired by...
- 10/12/2022
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s impassioned speech, delivered Wednesday during the opening ceremony of the Venice Film Festival, was a reminder to the international film industry not to ignore or forget the war raging on Europe’s eastern borders.
“Your opinion is important, and your voice counts,” Zelensky said in his recorded video, calling on the film industry to “talk about this war with the most clear language possible: the language of cinema, the language that you all talk.”
More than six months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, news of the war has begun to slip out of the headlines, something Zelensky pointed to in his speech, noting the danger that those killed in the conflict could fall into “obliviousness and obscurity.”
But in the months since the Feb. 24 invasion, the global film industry has come together to support and sustain the embattled Ukrainian film industry,...
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s impassioned speech, delivered Wednesday during the opening ceremony of the Venice Film Festival, was a reminder to the international film industry not to ignore or forget the war raging on Europe’s eastern borders.
“Your opinion is important, and your voice counts,” Zelensky said in his recorded video, calling on the film industry to “talk about this war with the most clear language possible: the language of cinema, the language that you all talk.”
More than six months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, news of the war has begun to slip out of the headlines, something Zelensky pointed to in his speech, noting the danger that those killed in the conflict could fall into “obliviousness and obscurity.”
But in the months since the Feb. 24 invasion, the global film industry has come together to support and sustain the embattled Ukrainian film industry,...
- 9/2/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Don DeLillo’s debut novel, “Americana,” is set to be adapted 51 years after it was first published.
“White Noise” producer Uri Singer has bought the rights to the 1971 novel, continuing his streak of adapting a string of DeLillo works that have been deemed “unadaptable.”
“Americana” tells the story of David Bell, an out-of-touch television executive who sets off on a road trip with his female colleague, Sullivan, to make an avant-garde film. The book explores the intricacies of corporate culture and examines how we create realities, whether they are true or not.
Singer tells Variety: “When you read ‘Americana,’ you understand how Don developed into the literary icon he is today. It’s the story of an ‘American Psycho’-type of protagonist, minus the murder, in the toxic and cut-throat world of television, with all the extraordinary minor characters that mark a DeLillo work. Where ‘American Psycho’ just shows the protagonist as he is,...
“White Noise” producer Uri Singer has bought the rights to the 1971 novel, continuing his streak of adapting a string of DeLillo works that have been deemed “unadaptable.”
“Americana” tells the story of David Bell, an out-of-touch television executive who sets off on a road trip with his female colleague, Sullivan, to make an avant-garde film. The book explores the intricacies of corporate culture and examines how we create realities, whether they are true or not.
Singer tells Variety: “When you read ‘Americana,’ you understand how Don developed into the literary icon he is today. It’s the story of an ‘American Psycho’-type of protagonist, minus the murder, in the toxic and cut-throat world of television, with all the extraordinary minor characters that mark a DeLillo work. Where ‘American Psycho’ just shows the protagonist as he is,...
- 9/1/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
When it comes to creative pedigree, it would be hard to argue with the bona fides of Bosnian crime drama “The Hollow,” which was co-created by Oscar-winning director Danis Tanović (“No Man’s Land”) and had a splashy premiere Saturday night at the Sarajevo Film Festival. The series is directed by Tanović and Bosnian filmmaker Aida Begić, whose latest feature, “A Ballad,” also received the red-carpet treatment this week in Sarajevo’s official competition.
More than just a prestige drama from a region that’s increasingly exporting its shows to the world, however, “The Hollow” could represent a paradigm shift in the countries of the former Yugoslavia, where global streaming services have been acquiring titles such as “The Paper” (Netflix) and “The Silence” (HBO Max) but are yet to put significant investment into local production.
“The Hollow” marks the first foray into original drama by Bosnia’s Bh Telecom, which plans...
More than just a prestige drama from a region that’s increasingly exporting its shows to the world, however, “The Hollow” could represent a paradigm shift in the countries of the former Yugoslavia, where global streaming services have been acquiring titles such as “The Paper” (Netflix) and “The Silence” (HBO Max) but are yet to put significant investment into local production.
“The Hollow” marks the first foray into original drama by Bosnia’s Bh Telecom, which plans...
- 8/17/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Croatia’s Drugi Plan and Bulgaria’s Agitprop, two of the leading production outfits in Southeast Europe, have been attached to co-produce the upcoming drama series “Sabre,” a political thriller revolving around the 2003 assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic produced by Belgrade-based This and That Productions.
Created by Goran Stanković and Vladimir Tagić, the series will star Serbian-Danish actress Danica Curcic, known to international audiences for her lead role in the Netflix psychological thriller “The Chestnut Man,” as a reporter investigating the shocking murder.
The companies announced the deal on Monday at the Sarajevo Film Festival, where This and That’s “Bad Blood” and Drugi Plan’s “The Silence” were among the top Balkan drama series vying for Heart of Sarajevo TV Awards, which were handed out at a ceremony in the Bosnian capital on Sunday night.
“Sabre” was first pitched in Sarajevo three years ago during the CineLink Drama co-financing forum,...
Created by Goran Stanković and Vladimir Tagić, the series will star Serbian-Danish actress Danica Curcic, known to international audiences for her lead role in the Netflix psychological thriller “The Chestnut Man,” as a reporter investigating the shocking murder.
The companies announced the deal on Monday at the Sarajevo Film Festival, where This and That’s “Bad Blood” and Drugi Plan’s “The Silence” were among the top Balkan drama series vying for Heart of Sarajevo TV Awards, which were handed out at a ceremony in the Bosnian capital on Sunday night.
“Sabre” was first pitched in Sarajevo three years ago during the CineLink Drama co-financing forum,...
- 8/15/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
In some ways it’s a year of transition for the Sarajevo Film Festival, which sees former industry head and co-director Jovan Marjanović take the helm as festival director, while long-time staffer Maša Marković takes over as head of industry. For Marković, who began her career at the long-running Bosnian fest 15 years ago, the change “was kind of organic,” offering the kind of smooth transition that has allowed Sarajevo to retain its position as the leading industry confab in Southeast Europe.
For nearly three decades, the festival has identified and launched local talent while serving as a think tank of sorts for the region’s rapidly evolving screen industries. This year’s CineLink Industry Days program will stick to that time-tested formula, even as it tries to adjust to dramatic shifts in the way that content in the region and around the globe is being produced and distributed.
The disruptions...
For nearly three decades, the festival has identified and launched local talent while serving as a think tank of sorts for the region’s rapidly evolving screen industries. This year’s CineLink Industry Days program will stick to that time-tested formula, even as it tries to adjust to dramatic shifts in the way that content in the region and around the globe is being produced and distributed.
The disruptions...
- 8/11/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Beta Film has added two new titles to its growing slate of titles from Central and Eastern Europe, acquiring international distribution rights to Serbian supernatural drama “Block 27” and the Czech crime series “Ultimatum,” the company announced on the eve of the Sarajevo Film Festival.
Veronika Kovacova, Beta’s EVP of international sales and acquisitions for Eastern Europe and Turkey, said the deals underscore the company’s continued commitment to the fast-growing region. “We are there for the creators, for the producers, to help them and to support what they want to produce,” she said.
Directed by Momir Milosevic and Milica Tomovic, and produced by Belgrade-based Firefly Productions, “Block 27” is a science fiction-mystery that follows the disappearance of a teenager in Belgrade, and the search by his twin sister to find him—a journey that finds her traveling to another dimension. The 6 x 45’ series is created by Ivan Knezevic and stars Branko Djuric,...
Veronika Kovacova, Beta’s EVP of international sales and acquisitions for Eastern Europe and Turkey, said the deals underscore the company’s continued commitment to the fast-growing region. “We are there for the creators, for the producers, to help them and to support what they want to produce,” she said.
Directed by Momir Milosevic and Milica Tomovic, and produced by Belgrade-based Firefly Productions, “Block 27” is a science fiction-mystery that follows the disappearance of a teenager in Belgrade, and the search by his twin sister to find him—a journey that finds her traveling to another dimension. The 6 x 45’ series is created by Ivan Knezevic and stars Branko Djuric,...
- 8/11/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
It may be Maša Marković’s first year as head of industry at the Sarajevo Film Festival, but for the long-time festival staffer, it’s business as usual.
CineLink Industry Days has long been considered the leading industry hub for Southeast European film professionals and has played a critical role in shaping talent and expanding content and co-productions in the region. This year marks the 20th anniversary of its co-production market, which presents ten of the most promising feature film projects in development from the region and, says Marković, this year’s strand is better than ever.
“We really focus heavily on the quality of projects and what we can co-create,” she says. “That’s been our focus for a really long time, and this is why our place in the European market is very important because it’s really focused on a high level of curation.”
The industry strand...
CineLink Industry Days has long been considered the leading industry hub for Southeast European film professionals and has played a critical role in shaping talent and expanding content and co-productions in the region. This year marks the 20th anniversary of its co-production market, which presents ten of the most promising feature film projects in development from the region and, says Marković, this year’s strand is better than ever.
“We really focus heavily on the quality of projects and what we can co-create,” she says. “That’s been our focus for a really long time, and this is why our place in the European market is very important because it’s really focused on a high level of curation.”
The industry strand...
- 8/5/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Tour the Famous Filming Location Site “The Silence of the Lambs” Classic Special Father’s Day Gift from ‘Fright Rags’ for All Tour Guests on Sunday Have you been dying to check out Buffalo Bill’s House, most famously known as the filming location for the cinematic climax of the five-time Academy Award winning film The Silence …
The post Buffalo Bill’s House Hosts Father’s Day House Tours appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.
The post Buffalo Bill’s House Hosts Father’s Day House Tours appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.
- 6/15/2022
- by Adrian Halen
- Horror News
The Sarajevo International Film Festival has unveiled the nominees for its second annual TV awards with 17 series from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Slovenia represented across the nominees.
The local series up for awards are: Advokado, Besa 2, Block 27, Black Wedding, Strange Kind of Loves, Dolina rož, Awake, Lenin’s Park, Crazy, Confused, Normal, Underneath 2, Mrkomir I, Bad Blood, The Last Socialist Artefact, United Brothers, Killers of My Father 5, The Silence and Time of Evil.
This year, the award categories have expanded to include drama series and comedy and winners will be honored with the fest’s lauded Heart of Sarajevo award, a prize usually given to the festival’s competition winner.
The Sarajevo Film Festival established the awards for TV series last year, with the aim of promoting and showcasing the highest quality regional television series in the past 12 months to promote their international placement.
The local series up for awards are: Advokado, Besa 2, Block 27, Black Wedding, Strange Kind of Loves, Dolina rož, Awake, Lenin’s Park, Crazy, Confused, Normal, Underneath 2, Mrkomir I, Bad Blood, The Last Socialist Artefact, United Brothers, Killers of My Father 5, The Silence and Time of Evil.
This year, the award categories have expanded to include drama series and comedy and winners will be honored with the fest’s lauded Heart of Sarajevo award, a prize usually given to the festival’s competition winner.
The Sarajevo Film Festival established the awards for TV series last year, with the aim of promoting and showcasing the highest quality regional television series in the past 12 months to promote their international placement.
- 6/10/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Miranda Otto, Jesse Spence and Guy Pearce are among the high-profile stars featuring on Disney+’s debut slate in Australia and New Zealand.
Announced at an event at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art, the 2022/23 slate comprises three dramas, four documentaries and two lifestyle/general factual entertainment series. Several are for Disney+’s adult vertical Star.
On the scripted drama front, The Clearing is adapted from Jp Pomare’s novel ‘In the Clearing’ and is inspired by Australian cult The Family and its founder Anne Hamilton-Byrne, one of the few female cult leaders in history.
Teresa Palmer (A Discovery of Witches), Miranda Otto (The Usual Suspects) and Guy Pearce (Jack Irish) lead the cast, alongside the lies of Hazem Shammas (Safe Harbour), Mark Coles-Smith (Mystery Road), Tom Budge (Bloom).
Written and created by Matt Cameron (Jack Irish) and Elise McCredie (Stateless) alongside co-writer Osamah Sami (Ali’s Wedding), it comes from...
Announced at an event at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art, the 2022/23 slate comprises three dramas, four documentaries and two lifestyle/general factual entertainment series. Several are for Disney+’s adult vertical Star.
On the scripted drama front, The Clearing is adapted from Jp Pomare’s novel ‘In the Clearing’ and is inspired by Australian cult The Family and its founder Anne Hamilton-Byrne, one of the few female cult leaders in history.
Teresa Palmer (A Discovery of Witches), Miranda Otto (The Usual Suspects) and Guy Pearce (Jack Irish) lead the cast, alongside the lies of Hazem Shammas (Safe Harbour), Mark Coles-Smith (Mystery Road), Tom Budge (Bloom).
Written and created by Matt Cameron (Jack Irish) and Elise McCredie (Stateless) alongside co-writer Osamah Sami (Ali’s Wedding), it comes from...
- 5/17/2022
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Mohsen Makhmalbaf is an internationally known Iranian filmmaker, famous for features such as “A Moment of Innocence”, “Gabbeh”, “The Silence” and “The Gardener”. He belongs to the Iranian New Wave Movement, which also included his colleague Abbas Kiarostami, Amir Naderi and Majid Majidi. Over the course of his career he has made over 30 movies, which have won more than 50 awards in international film festivals around the world, but have often been banned in his home country. In 2005, Makhmalbaf had to leave the country after the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad due to his involvement with the Green Movement. He also released more than 30 books, translated in various languages.
On the occasion of his presence at Fica Vesoul, we speak with him about the current situation in Iran and Afghanistan, him not being able to return, the Internet, the impact of cinema, religion and education, the importance of music in films, mixing...
On the occasion of his presence at Fica Vesoul, we speak with him about the current situation in Iran and Afghanistan, him not being able to return, the Internet, the impact of cinema, religion and education, the importance of music in films, mixing...
- 4/30/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Two months after the debut of musical rom-com “Marry Me,” starring Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson and Maluma, Bobby Crosby is getting another one of his Keenspot graphic novels adapted for the big screen. Israeli producer Uri Singer has secured the film and television rights to “Dreamless,” a Keenspot graphic novel by Crosby illustrated by Sarah Ellerton.
“Dreamless,” which was first a Keenspot webcomic in 2009 before being collected into a graphic novel, has been read by more than four million people worldwide. It is a romance about a girl from America and a boy from Japan, born on the same day in 1923. Since birth, they have somehow mind-swapped in their sleep, experiencing each other’s lives instead of dreaming. Then, their relationship is tested during World War II in young adulthood. The project is currently out to talent.
“I love ‘Dreamless,’ ” Singer told Variety. “We look forward to bringing this beautiful...
“Dreamless,” which was first a Keenspot webcomic in 2009 before being collected into a graphic novel, has been read by more than four million people worldwide. It is a romance about a girl from America and a boy from Japan, born on the same day in 1923. Since birth, they have somehow mind-swapped in their sleep, experiencing each other’s lives instead of dreaming. Then, their relationship is tested during World War II in young adulthood. The project is currently out to talent.
“I love ‘Dreamless,’ ” Singer told Variety. “We look forward to bringing this beautiful...
- 4/15/2022
- by Mónica Marie Zorrilla
- Variety Film + TV
The Berlinale was the world’s first big festival to embrace drama series, launching Berlinale Series in 2015 and adding a year later an industry component, known from 2019 as the Berlinale Series Market. It has grown into one of continental Europe’s biggest TV events. Following, seven takes on this year’s edition.
TV Tail Wags Film Dog
The Berlinale Series Market used to be a burgeoning sidebar. Now, added to the Festival’s Berlinale Series section, it’s the biggest industry event at the Berlin Festival. That’s of course a sign of the times. In 2017, almost 70% of the U.K.’s film/high-end TV production spend went to film. In 2021, the ratio was reversed, with the Hetv sector accounting for a massive $5.6 billion – 73% – of a total $7.6 billion spend, according to a BFI report. Money talks. Many Berlin competition movies are produced and sold by companies whose revenues might not reach $1 million a year.
TV Tail Wags Film Dog
The Berlinale Series Market used to be a burgeoning sidebar. Now, added to the Festival’s Berlinale Series section, it’s the biggest industry event at the Berlin Festival. That’s of course a sign of the times. In 2017, almost 70% of the U.K.’s film/high-end TV production spend went to film. In 2021, the ratio was reversed, with the Hetv sector accounting for a massive $5.6 billion – 73% – of a total $7.6 billion spend, according to a BFI report. Money talks. Many Berlin competition movies are produced and sold by companies whose revenues might not reach $1 million a year.
- 2/16/2022
- by John Hopewell and Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Munich-based Beta Film has inked a number of initial European deals for its Croatian-Ukrainian crime drama “The Silence,” which has just screened in the Berlinale Series Market Selects showcase at this year’s Berlin Festival.
The six-hour series about human trafficking went to German-French broadcasting group Zdf/Arte, which is also on board as co-producer.
Beta signed further deals with HBO Europe for Central and Eastern Europe as well as with Lumière for Flemish-speaking Benelux, with additional territories currently being negotiated.
Produced by Croatian broadcaster Hrt and Zagreb-based Drugi Plan in co-production with Beta Film, Russia’s Star Media, Ukraine’s Oll.TV and Zdf/Arte, “The Silence” is based on the critically acclaimed fact-based books by investigative journalist Drago Hedl that examine human and weapons trafficking throughout Eastern Europe.
Highly praised by the Italian press, the books were listed among the 33 best European crime novels of 2018. “The Silence” premiered at Nem Dubrovnik last summer.
The six-hour series about human trafficking went to German-French broadcasting group Zdf/Arte, which is also on board as co-producer.
Beta signed further deals with HBO Europe for Central and Eastern Europe as well as with Lumière for Flemish-speaking Benelux, with additional territories currently being negotiated.
Produced by Croatian broadcaster Hrt and Zagreb-based Drugi Plan in co-production with Beta Film, Russia’s Star Media, Ukraine’s Oll.TV and Zdf/Arte, “The Silence” is based on the critically acclaimed fact-based books by investigative journalist Drago Hedl that examine human and weapons trafficking throughout Eastern Europe.
Highly praised by the Italian press, the books were listed among the 33 best European crime novels of 2018. “The Silence” premiered at Nem Dubrovnik last summer.
- 2/16/2022
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Since its launch in 2015, the Berlinale Series section has emerged as a kind of a boutique scripted TV fest set within a major film festival.
The Berlinale was famously the first A-list festival to embrace changing viewer habits and to officially incorporate television drama into its lineup — and this head-start is reflected in the growing stature of Berlinale Series.
Taking place over a concentrated three-day period (Feb. 14-16), Berlinale Series offers up seven world and international premieres from around 200 entries, giving each of them the red-carpet treatment at the Zoo Palast cinema.
Running parallel, the Berlinale Series Market — part of the European Film Market — offers up an online conference program, showcases and screenings. Its Berlinale Series Market Selects curates a selection of 14 series being traded on the market. Meanwhile, Co-Pro Series looks to pair 10 early-stage international series projects with co-producers and financiers through a series of pitches and meetings.
Head...
The Berlinale was famously the first A-list festival to embrace changing viewer habits and to officially incorporate television drama into its lineup — and this head-start is reflected in the growing stature of Berlinale Series.
Taking place over a concentrated three-day period (Feb. 14-16), Berlinale Series offers up seven world and international premieres from around 200 entries, giving each of them the red-carpet treatment at the Zoo Palast cinema.
Running parallel, the Berlinale Series Market — part of the European Film Market — offers up an online conference program, showcases and screenings. Its Berlinale Series Market Selects curates a selection of 14 series being traded on the market. Meanwhile, Co-Pro Series looks to pair 10 early-stage international series projects with co-producers and financiers through a series of pitches and meetings.
Head...
- 2/14/2022
- by Tim Dams
- Variety Film + TV
Mohsen Makhmalbaf, the Iranian auteur who is a leading voice in art house film, says independent cinema is dying in the era of streaming video.
Makhmalbaf, director of Cannes prize winner “Kandahar,” Sitges and Tokyo winner “Gabbeh” and Venice winner “The Silence,” says that while streaming presents an opportunity to show a film to many people, it also “destroys other kinds of medium.”
“You can eat your food in your room, but why do you go to a restaurant to eat with others?,” asks Makhmalbaf. “If you are religious, you can go and pray in your room, but you go to a church or temple or mosque, because you want to do it with others. You can see the film in your mobile phone alone, but you go to the cinema to see film with others.”
“Cinema is dying in this way. Because except festivals, in many countries, we don’t have cinema,...
Makhmalbaf, director of Cannes prize winner “Kandahar,” Sitges and Tokyo winner “Gabbeh” and Venice winner “The Silence,” says that while streaming presents an opportunity to show a film to many people, it also “destroys other kinds of medium.”
“You can eat your food in your room, but why do you go to a restaurant to eat with others?,” asks Makhmalbaf. “If you are religious, you can go and pray in your room, but you go to a church or temple or mosque, because you want to do it with others. You can see the film in your mobile phone alone, but you go to the cinema to see film with others.”
“Cinema is dying in this way. Because except festivals, in many countries, we don’t have cinema,...
- 2/8/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Uri Singer and Aimee Peyronnet are teaming to acquire two works from the estate of French author Pierre Boulle, who wrote the novels The Planet of the Apes and The Bridge Over the River Kwai, which both were turned into iconic Hollywood movies.
The pair have acquired Boulle’s 1974 novel The Virtues of Hell, as well as Planet of the Men, an unproduced feature screenplay Boulle wrote after the first Planet of the Apes movie premiered in 1968 with Charlton Heston starring. The plan is to turn Virtues of Hell into a film, and adapt Planet of the Men for TV.
The Virtues of Hell centers on John Butler as he returns from war and turns to heroin to cope with his Ptsd. He is pulled into a secret drug operation and tasked with developing a technique for producing the purest heroin ever created, all while the DEA, his past psychiatrists and lovers,...
The pair have acquired Boulle’s 1974 novel The Virtues of Hell, as well as Planet of the Men, an unproduced feature screenplay Boulle wrote after the first Planet of the Apes movie premiered in 1968 with Charlton Heston starring. The plan is to turn Virtues of Hell into a film, and adapt Planet of the Men for TV.
The Virtues of Hell centers on John Butler as he returns from war and turns to heroin to cope with his Ptsd. He is pulled into a secret drug operation and tasked with developing a technique for producing the purest heroin ever created, all while the DEA, his past psychiatrists and lovers,...
- 2/7/2022
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Channel 4 have issued best practice recommendations on working with disabled talent, adopting a number of recommendations set out by newly-formed pressure group Underlying Health Condition (Uhc).
The group, founded by “His Dark Materials” scribe Jack Thorne, actor Genevieve Barr (“The Silence”), production manager Katie Player (“Churchill) and producer Holly Luban, launched last week.
Now Channel 4 has issued a number of guides, which apply both off-screen and on-screen, in a bid to improve accessibility and inclusion for disabled creatives working in television.
On-screen, the broadcaster has issued three template documents to ensure disabled talent, presenters and contributors can focus on delivering great content, including an access rider for talent, an access statement for sets and an access plan to record any adjustments that may be needed.
Off-screen, three booklets have been issued to help production companies be more inclusive of deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people, create more accessible working environments...
The group, founded by “His Dark Materials” scribe Jack Thorne, actor Genevieve Barr (“The Silence”), production manager Katie Player (“Churchill) and producer Holly Luban, launched last week.
Now Channel 4 has issued a number of guides, which apply both off-screen and on-screen, in a bid to improve accessibility and inclusion for disabled creatives working in television.
On-screen, the broadcaster has issued three template documents to ensure disabled talent, presenters and contributors can focus on delivering great content, including an access rider for talent, an access statement for sets and an access plan to record any adjustments that may be needed.
Off-screen, three booklets have been issued to help production companies be more inclusive of deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people, create more accessible working environments...
- 12/6/2021
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Writer Jack Thorne (“His Dark Materials”) today launched the pressure group Underlying Health Conditions (Uhc) alongside “The Silence” star Genevieve Barr, production manager Katie Player (“Churchill) and producer Holly Luban.
To coincide with the launch, which took place at the Tate Gallery in London on International Day of Disabled Persons, the group also published a damning report into accessibility – or lack thereof – for disabled professionals both in front of and behind the camera.
Among the findings in the report, which was based on surveys completed over the past six months by people working for or on behalf of studios and facilities companies, were that:
There is only one facilities company in the whole of the U.K. (that responded) with an accessible toilet facility – meaning that only one production in the U.K. taking place at any time can provide disabled professionals with access to a toilet; 78.8% of U.K.
To coincide with the launch, which took place at the Tate Gallery in London on International Day of Disabled Persons, the group also published a damning report into accessibility – or lack thereof – for disabled professionals both in front of and behind the camera.
Among the findings in the report, which was based on surveys completed over the past six months by people working for or on behalf of studios and facilities companies, were that:
There is only one facilities company in the whole of the U.K. (that responded) with an accessible toilet facility – meaning that only one production in the U.K. taking place at any time can provide disabled professionals with access to a toilet; 78.8% of U.K.
- 12/3/2021
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Scorsese Joins Mundruczó’s ‘Evolution’; Crytpt TV’s First Indian Horror; Buff Lineup — Global Briefs
Martin Scorsese Joins ‘Evolution’ As Exec Producer
Martin Scorsese is joining Kornél Mundruczó’s Cannes title Evolution as an executive producer. This marks his second collaboration with the filmmaker and screenwriter Kata Wéber after Oscar nominee Pieces Of A Woman. “Every new movie by Mundruczó and Wéber comes as a welcome shock to the senses for the viewer and for the filmmaker – they never stop advancing into uncharted territory. With Evolution, they find a way to dramatize the movement of time itself, the ways that we remember and the ways that we forget,” said Scorsese. The pic, which explores a family’s experiences from World War II to present-day Berlin, had its world premiere at on the Croisette earlier this year. It stars Lili Monori (Delta), Annamária Láng (Nothing Really Happened), Goya Rego, Padmé Hamdemir and Jule Böwe (The Silence). The movie is produced by Viola Fügen, Michael Weber and Viktória Petrányi,...
Martin Scorsese is joining Kornél Mundruczó’s Cannes title Evolution as an executive producer. This marks his second collaboration with the filmmaker and screenwriter Kata Wéber after Oscar nominee Pieces Of A Woman. “Every new movie by Mundruczó and Wéber comes as a welcome shock to the senses for the viewer and for the filmmaker – they never stop advancing into uncharted territory. With Evolution, they find a way to dramatize the movement of time itself, the ways that we remember and the ways that we forget,” said Scorsese. The pic, which explores a family’s experiences from World War II to present-day Berlin, had its world premiere at on the Croisette earlier this year. It stars Lili Monori (Delta), Annamária Láng (Nothing Really Happened), Goya Rego, Padmé Hamdemir and Jule Böwe (The Silence). The movie is produced by Viola Fügen, Michael Weber and Viktória Petrányi,...
- 11/9/2021
- by Anuj Radia
- Deadline Film + TV
The cast of the Spanish ‘Bird Box’ spin-off has also been revealed.
Netflix’s upcoming Spanish production slate includes two original feature films: Nowhere, directed by Albert Pintó, and Patxi Amézcua’s Infiesto (both are working titles).
Nowhere stars Anna Castillo and is produced by Miguel Ruz. Set in the near future, a young pregnant woman named Nada escapes from a country at war by hiding in a maritime container aboard a cargo ship. After a violent storm, Nada then gives birth to the child while lost at sea, where she must fight to survive. Pintó previously directed Spanish Netflix series Sky Rojo.
Netflix’s upcoming Spanish production slate includes two original feature films: Nowhere, directed by Albert Pintó, and Patxi Amézcua’s Infiesto (both are working titles).
Nowhere stars Anna Castillo and is produced by Miguel Ruz. Set in the near future, a young pregnant woman named Nada escapes from a country at war by hiding in a maritime container aboard a cargo ship. After a violent storm, Nada then gives birth to the child while lost at sea, where she must fight to survive. Pintó previously directed Spanish Netflix series Sky Rojo.
- 10/28/2021
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Netflix today unveiled a slate of new Spanish content, including two fiction series and a pair of feature films.
The streamer renewed its popular Spanish YA drama series Elite for a sixth season, well ahead of the series’ Season 5 premiere. Created and written by Carlos Montero and Darío Madrona, Elite is one of the streamer’s best performing Spanish originals.
Netflix also confirmed three new holiday-themed installments of the short-form spinoff Elite: Short Stories: Phillipe, Caye, & Felipe, premiering Wednesday, Dec. 15, Samuel & Omar, premiering Monday, Dec. 20 and Patrick, premiering Thursday, Dec. 23.
On the film side, Patxi Amezcua is writing and directing Infiesto (working title). Isak Férriz and Iria del Río star in the pic, which is set on the first day of a national emergency involving a virus and follows two detectives who are called to a small mining town in the Asturian mountains where a young woman who had...
The streamer renewed its popular Spanish YA drama series Elite for a sixth season, well ahead of the series’ Season 5 premiere. Created and written by Carlos Montero and Darío Madrona, Elite is one of the streamer’s best performing Spanish originals.
Netflix also confirmed three new holiday-themed installments of the short-form spinoff Elite: Short Stories: Phillipe, Caye, & Felipe, premiering Wednesday, Dec. 15, Samuel & Omar, premiering Monday, Dec. 20 and Patrick, premiering Thursday, Dec. 23.
On the film side, Patxi Amezcua is writing and directing Infiesto (working title). Isak Férriz and Iria del Río star in the pic, which is set on the first day of a national emergency involving a virus and follows two detectives who are called to a small mining town in the Asturian mountains where a young woman who had...
- 10/28/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix’s Spanish adaptation of its hit original movie “Bird Box” is coming together.
Cast and a handful of early details were announced for the previously announced project from Àlex and David Pastor. Leading the international cast are Mario Casas, one of Spain’s most bankable leading men who this year won a best actor Spanish Academy Goya Award for his performance in “Cross the Line,” and Georgina Campbell, a best leading actress BAFTA winner for her work in “Murdered by My Boyfriend.”
Casas was also the star of horror thriller “The Paramedic,” one of Netflix’s best performing Spanish original films to date.
Other cast includes Diego Calva (“I Promise You Anarchy”), Alejandra Howard (“Ana. all in”), Naila Schuberth (“Unbroken”), Patrick Criado (“Riot Police”) and Celia Freijeiro (“Perfect Life”), with Lola Dueñas (“The Sea Inside”), Gonzalo de Castro (“La torre de Suso”), Michelle Jenner (“Isabel”) and Leonardo Sbaraglia (“Pain and Glory...
Cast and a handful of early details were announced for the previously announced project from Àlex and David Pastor. Leading the international cast are Mario Casas, one of Spain’s most bankable leading men who this year won a best actor Spanish Academy Goya Award for his performance in “Cross the Line,” and Georgina Campbell, a best leading actress BAFTA winner for her work in “Murdered by My Boyfriend.”
Casas was also the star of horror thriller “The Paramedic,” one of Netflix’s best performing Spanish original films to date.
Other cast includes Diego Calva (“I Promise You Anarchy”), Alejandra Howard (“Ana. all in”), Naila Schuberth (“Unbroken”), Patrick Criado (“Riot Police”) and Celia Freijeiro (“Perfect Life”), with Lola Dueñas (“The Sea Inside”), Gonzalo de Castro (“La torre de Suso”), Michelle Jenner (“Isabel”) and Leonardo Sbaraglia (“Pain and Glory...
- 10/28/2021
- by Jamie Lang and John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Jez Butterworth will adapt Don DeLillo’s “The Silence” for the screen, Variety has learned. Producer Uri Singer, who is also producing and helped put together Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of another DeLillo novel, “White Noise,” has secured the rights to the book, which was published in 2020.
“The Silence” unfolds at a dinner party in Manhattan during Super Bowl Sunday in the year 2022. The diners include a retired physics professor, her husband and her former student. They are waiting for a couple, who is set to join them after flying in from Paris. To share more might risk ruining the post-modern twists and turns.
Vincent Sieber (“The Chronicles of Narnia” at Netflix) of Midnight Road will produce alongside Singer.
Butterworth is one of the most acclaimed playwrights working today. He has written such award-winning plays as “Jerusalem,” “The River,” “Mojo” and “The Ferryman.” He won the Olivier Award for best...
“The Silence” unfolds at a dinner party in Manhattan during Super Bowl Sunday in the year 2022. The diners include a retired physics professor, her husband and her former student. They are waiting for a couple, who is set to join them after flying in from Paris. To share more might risk ruining the post-modern twists and turns.
Vincent Sieber (“The Chronicles of Narnia” at Netflix) of Midnight Road will produce alongside Singer.
Butterworth is one of the most acclaimed playwrights working today. He has written such award-winning plays as “Jerusalem,” “The River,” “Mojo” and “The Ferryman.” He won the Olivier Award for best...
- 10/12/2021
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
With Guatemala as this year’s guest country of honor at the 36th Guadalajara Int’l Film Festival (Ficg), the festival will be screening more than a dozen films from this tiny Central American country, including one of its recent standouts, Justin Lerner’s “Cadejo Blanco.” The female-driven crime drama stages its world premiere Oct. 3 at the fest where it competes in the official Ibero-American Features section.
Although born in Boston, Lerner’s ties with Guatemala run deep, where he even proposed to his French-American wife at the edge of a volcano. More importantly, he helped with the creation of a film school there in 2016 where he was its first film professor. It was while teaching there when one of his students introduced him to the picturesque Caribbean coastal town of Puerto Barrios where “Cadejo Blanco” mainly takes place.
For two years, he visited the town and interviewed its youth,...
Although born in Boston, Lerner’s ties with Guatemala run deep, where he even proposed to his French-American wife at the edge of a volcano. More importantly, he helped with the creation of a film school there in 2016 where he was its first film professor. It was while teaching there when one of his students introduced him to the picturesque Caribbean coastal town of Puerto Barrios where “Cadejo Blanco” mainly takes place.
For two years, he visited the town and interviewed its youth,...
- 10/1/2021
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Ted Melfi, whose new film The Starling premiered last night at the Toronto Film Festival, has been set to adapt, direct and produce for Netflix Underworld, based on the seminal novel by Don DeLillo. The novel is a sprawling tapestry spread across decades that has a through line of the home run Bobby Thomson hit in 1951 to win the pennant for the New York Giants, breaking the hearts of crosstown fans of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
As the home run is hit and retrieved by a young fan named Cotter Martin, things are happening all around, including J. Edgar Hoover learning that moment that the Soviet Union had completed its first test of the hydrogen bomb. The ball eventually winds up in the hands of a waste management business owner named Nick Shay, who sets out to find the original owner as he sorts out his own mess of a life.
As the home run is hit and retrieved by a young fan named Cotter Martin, things are happening all around, including J. Edgar Hoover learning that moment that the Soviet Union had completed its first test of the hydrogen bomb. The ball eventually winds up in the hands of a waste management business owner named Nick Shay, who sets out to find the original owner as he sorts out his own mess of a life.
- 9/13/2021
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Beta Film CEO Jan Mojto was in his twenties when he left his native Slovakia in the 1970s, embarking on a career as a journalist before joining the German media giant Kirch Group and finally taking the reins of the Munich-based independent in 2004. Nearly half a century later, the 73-year-old admits a part of him has never left. “Obviously, there is a piece of [my] heart there,” he tells Variety.
It would be a stretch, however, to write off Beta Film’s growing investment in Central and Eastern Europe as nostalgia on the part of its venerable head. For a company that partners with and holds stakes in production companies across Europe, such moves are a natural extension of a strategy that has helped it evolve into one of the continent’s more formidable production and distribution powerhouses, behind the strength of titles like “Gomorrah” and “Babylon Berlin.”
“The market [in Central and Eastern Europe] is developing very rapidly,...
It would be a stretch, however, to write off Beta Film’s growing investment in Central and Eastern Europe as nostalgia on the part of its venerable head. For a company that partners with and holds stakes in production companies across Europe, such moves are a natural extension of a strategy that has helped it evolve into one of the continent’s more formidable production and distribution powerhouses, behind the strength of titles like “Gomorrah” and “Babylon Berlin.”
“The market [in Central and Eastern Europe] is developing very rapidly,...
- 9/8/2021
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
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