Paramount Stock Climbs On Report That Private Equity Firm Apollo Is Mulling A Bid For National Amusements

Callum McLennan 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 Contando Films, Studio Zentral, Network Movie and Nephilim, a German-Spanish production.

William Earl Variety has promoted Lindsey Elfenbein to VP of global summits and strategic partnerships. In her elevated role, Elfenbein will continue to oversee the brand’s global thought-leadership vertical and expand Variety’s portfolio of B2B and consumer clients across tech, financial, consultancy and pharmaceutical categories.

Anna Marie de la Fuente 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 billion ($571.1 million) into Brazil’s audiovisual sector, from rich states such as São Paulo to small town video stores.

Callum McLennan 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 CEO Antonio Saura. Also, “If American productions dominate at least 80% of markets, and local productions claim about half what remains.

Is Joe Alwyn about to shock the world by turning the tables on his famous ex??

Lily Allen has revealed that she is underway with work on a new album, and told fans that they can expect to hear the new material “soon”.The update was shared by the British singer-songwriter last night (February 15), when she took to social media to respond to a fan asking about new music.“Please when are you making a follow-up to your best LP, ‘No Shame’?,” they asked the singer on X/Twitter yesterday, to which she replied: “I am making it now, I don’t know how long it will take, but you will be able to hear some things soon.”At time of writing, it is not yet clear what the album will be titled or when it is expected to be released. However, when it does arrive it will mark Allen’s first full-length LP ‘No Shame’, which arrived back in 2018.I am making it now, I don’t know how long it will take, but you will be able to hear some things soon.

Netflix viewers have been left baffled by the trailer for new Korean comedy series Chicken Nugget, which may be even more bizarre than Squid Game.The chaotic new show sees a young woman, Min-ah, turned into a sauce-covered chicken nugget after stepping into a mysterious machine, promoting her father, Seon-man, and her admirer, Baek-joong, to embark on a desperate quest to transform her back.The official synopsis reads: “A woman steps into an odd machine and becomes… a chicken nugget?! Now, it’s up to her father and admirer to embark on a zany quest to bring her back.’Chicken Nugget was originally a highly popular Naver web series, created by Park Ji-Dok, commonly known as PJD, but has now been acquired by the streaming platform.The 12-episode mini-series is yet to arrive on UK Netflix but the surreal trailer has got fans equally bemused and excited.“We will be seated,” posted one viewer on X (formerly Twitter), while another joked: “What a horrible idea and it looks bad … we’ll watch it.”“Netflix needs to be stopped,” said another as a fourth person added: “This is so absurd that I might actually watch

Microsoft has begun to tease the successor to the Xbox Series X/S, promising the “largest technical leap” in Xbox console history.Following rumours Xbox was set to make a number of exclusive titles available to both PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch gamers, many fans assumed Microsoft could be about to follow the lead of Sega and pivot away from hardware to become a software-only studio.However during a podcast presentation about the “vision for the future” of the brand last night (February 15), Microsoft confirmed it was set to continue to manufacture consoles.“There’s some exciting stuff coming out in hardware that we’re going to share this holiday and we’re also invested in the next generation roadmap,” said Xbox president Sarah Bond. “What we’re really focused on there is delivering the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation”“That makes it better for players, and better for creators and the visions that they’re building,” she added.

Remedy Entertainment has confirmed plans to “expand and grow” the Alan Wake franchise following the success of Alan Wake 2.The long-awaited sequel to the 2010 original was finally released in October last year to critical acclaim. Alan Wake 2 was named NME’s Game Of 2023 and picked up two awards at The Game Awards including Best Narrative.Now Remedy has confirmed the game is the studio’s fastest selling title, with over 1.3million units sold [via VGC].“We are happy with the start of the sales,” explained Remedy’s CEO Tero Virtala.

Welcome to Deadline’s International Disruptors, a feature where we shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside of the U.S. shaking up the offshore marketplace. Today we’re talking to Stephen Kelliher, co-founder and MD of established London-based sales and film finance outfit Bankside Films. The company played a key role in getting Australian horror hit Talk to Me off the ground and Kelliher walks us through how that project came together as well as Bankside’s hefty EFM slate this year.

EXCLUSIVE: One of the UK’s biggest sports producers could lay off around 5% of staff as the troubling economic headwinds hit the world of sports production.

The All3Media sale saga has drawn to a close after almost a year with RedBird IMI confirming the acquisition of The Traitors superindie from Warner Bros. Discovery and Liberty Global for £1.15B ($1.45B).

In theory, we owe the world another edition of the Contender Countdown. A long-awaited update on the state of the Best Picture race.

EXCLUSIVE: The Australian television M&A market is set for its first big deal in a minute or two.

Alexei Navalny, who has led the main opposition to Vladimir Putin for years and was the subject of an Oscar-winning doc, has died, according to state reports citing the Russian prison service. He was 47.

UPDATE, with video: Prince Harry spoke to Good Morning America correspondent Will Reeve about his visit to the UK to visit his father, King Charles, following his disclosure that he has been diagnosed with cancer.

Festival season 2024 is well underway, Insiders, as our team decamps to Berlin. That and plenty more news to report from around the world to follow. Jesse Whittock with you. Sign up for the Insider newsletter here.

Christopher Nolan has revealed the reason why his longtime collaborator Michael Caine didn’t appear in Oppenheimer.The Oscar-nominated film took the box office by storm last year, and saw Cillian Murphy take on the role of the titular theoretical physicist who helped develop the first nuclear bomb.The project marked Murphy’s sixth time working with the renowned director, and first time taking on the lead role following supporting slots in Batman Begins and Dunkirk.However, Oppenheimer did not feature an appearance from another one of the director’s longtime collaborators: Michael Caine.The London actor has featured in eight of his films including The Dark Knight, Inception, Dunkirk, The Prestige and Interstellar, and speaking at the British Film Institute chairman’s dinner, Nolan shed light on why he didn’t take on a role in the 2023 blockbuster.Accepting the BFI Fellowship, Nolan explained that he was willing to have Caine in the movie, but the actor jokingly turned it down, saying: “OK, enough is enough” (via Variety).Discussing his reaction to Caine sitting Oppenheimer out, Nolan said: “I had to go off on my own. OK, I haven’t got Michael Caine, I’d better get Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr, Kenneth Branagh, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Cillian Murphy, Tom Conti, and hoped that all those greats would add up to one Michael Caine.”He later added: “So many people have helped me, so many people have been there for me, in so many different ways.

Becky Hill and Chase & Status will deliver a collaborative performance at the 2024 BRIT Awards next month.This year’s edition of the ceremony is due to take place at The O2 in London on Saturday, March 2. It’ll be presented by a trio of hosts – Maya Jama, Clara Amfo and Roman Kemp – and will be available to watch on ITV1 and ITVX.Today (February 16), it has been announced that Hill will take to the BRITs stage with electronic duo Chase & Status for a special joint performance.

Jessica Kiang The kids in Ilkay Idiskut’s third grade class are, as they let you know within about five minutes of Ruth Beckermann‘s delightful Berlin Encounters documentary “Favoriten,” very much their own people. These 25 boisterous, funny, clattering seven-year-olds attend the largest elementary school in Vienna and for the most part hail from migrant family backgrounds from Turkey or Syria or Serbia. Diminutive in form but outsized in personality, they are also, however, eminently recognisable and relatable, and you can find all the various versions of your own grade-school self in one or other of them at some point.

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 signed an open letter this week demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and asking that the festival leadership take a “stronger institutional stance” on what the statement calls “the current assault on Palestinian life” and calling on the festival to take a stance that is “consistent with those taken in response to other events that have struck the international community in recent years.” The war in Gaza followed Hamas’ attacks on Israel on Oct.