Ed Meza: Last News

Ed Meza @edmezavar U.S. streaming service Topic is expanding its roster of French content with such recent acquisitions as the Arte fantasy-thriller miniseries “The Rope,” picked up from Wild Bunch TV, and Season 2 of political satire “Parliament,” sold internationally by France TV Distribution. Launched by First Look Media in 2019, Topic specializes in crime and thrillers, including top Nordic shows like “The Killing,” “The Bridge,” “Arctic Circle” and “The Bridge”-inspired German thriller “Pagan Peak.” Jennifer Liang, Topic’s vice president of programming strategy, acquisitions and sales, is attending this year’s Unifrance Rendez-Vous TV programming market in Biarritz for the first time and on the lookout for titles that fit the niche streamer’s high standards.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Coming off a year of major international growth, Paris-based animation giant Cyber Group Studios is presenting a wide-ranging lineup of new and returning shows at this year’s Unifrance Rendez-Vous in the French seaside town of Biarritz. Among Cyber Group’s current high-profile titles is the new super-powered kid comedy series “50/50 Heroes,” which has sold to ITV in the U.K. and Discovery in Latin America. Commissioned by France Televisions and Disney, “50/50 Heroes” follows the high jinks of Mo and Sam, a half-brother and sister duo, aged 11 and 9, who share super powers. Cyber Group has been expanding its global operations over the past year with a number of major acquisitions, partnerships and joint ventures that have resulted in a number of new projects.

Ed Meza @edmezavarIn revisiting the tale of fugitive lovers on the run in California’s High Desert, the makers of “The Last Manhunt” sought to correct a story that has remained very much alive for the indigenous Chemehuevi people of the region for more than 100 years.Produced by Jason Momoa’s On the Roam and directed by Christian Camargo from a script by Thomas Pa’a Sibbett, “The Last Manhunt” opens this year’s inaugural Pioneertown International Film Festival, which takes place May 27-29. The historic movie-set town, home to the popular Pappy & Harriet’s music club, is located near the actual site of the events that transpired in 1909 in and around Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree National Park.

Ed Meza @edmezavarWriter-director Tinna Hrafnsdóttir’s critically acclaimed Icelandic psychological-mystery drama “Quake” has sold to Juno Films for North America and the U.K. as well as to Njuta Films for Sweden.British-French production, distribution and sales company Alief is presenting the film at the upcoming Cannes Marché du Film.Anita Briem (“Beautiful Beings,” “Journey to the Center of the Earth”) stars as Saga, a single mother fighting to keep her young son while trying to piece together her life after losing her memory.

Ed Meza @edmezavarBlood Window, the Latin American genre film platform, returns to the Cannes Film Market this year with a selection of works in progress and completed films, including titles from Brazil and Mexico.Part of Ventana Sur’s genre industry platform, this year’s Blood Window Showcase screens Brazilian director Sabrina Greve’s film debut — still a work in progress — “The Basement of Scream Street” (“O porão da rua do grito”). The pic won Blood Window’s best work-in-progress competition at Ventana Sur last year, an honor that also granted it a world premiere at this year’s Sitges Film Festival in Spain.“The Basement of Scream Street” centers on siblings Jonas and Rebeca, who, haunted by guilt over their parents’ death, have developed an obsessive dependency on each other as they care for their grandmother and a child trapped in the basement.

Ed Meza @edmezavarInternational mobile advertising and digital media company Adsmovil is launching Nuestra.TV, an ad-supported video on-demand service targeting Hispanic audiences in the U.S.Based in Miami, Nuestra.TV comprises more than 40 channels and over 15,000 hours of content “reflecting the full breadth and diversity of the Hispanic population,” the company said. The downloadable content library includes premiere productions in both English and Spanish from the U.S., Latin America and Spain as well as original content from award-winning creators for bilingual and bicultural consumers.Unveiled by Adsmovil on Thursday at the the IAB NewFronts digital content virtual event, the service also offers educational programming, gaming, podcasts, user-generated content, news and music events.

Ed Meza @edmezavarIn his more than three decades at Constantin Film, Martin Moszkowicz has overseen the production of hundreds of films, including such box office successes as “Downfall,” “The Baader Meinhof Complex,” the hugely popular “Fack Ju Go­ehte” films and the hit “Resident Evil” franchise.This year’s CinemaCon is honoring Constantin’s longtime CEO for his work and continuing success at the global box office.Speaking to Variety, Moszkowicz looks back at his career and discusses Constantin’s current challenges, its diverse lineup, new productions and expanding film and television activities.Moszkowicz has headed Germany’s most successful production and distribution group since 2014. While Germany remains its main market, Constantin has had a global outlook since its beginnings, and it was due in part to Moszkowicz’s international experience that he landed his first job at the company.

Ed Meza @edmezavarPicture Tree International (PTI) has acquired Constantin Film’s hit comedy film series “Bavarian Rhapsody,” about a laid-back cop in a small town in southern Germany.The eight-part movie series, which PTI is presenting at the MipTV mart in Cannes this week, includes the latest installment, “Guglhupf Squadron,” which Constantin is releasing in theaters in August. PTI will screen a trailer reel of the series and part seven in the franchise, last year’s “Kaiserschmarrn Drama.”Based on Rita Falk’s bestselling book series that also celebrates Bavarian cuisine, the movie franchise began in 2013 with “Sweet Buns Blues” and also comprises 2014’s “Winterpotato Dumplings”; “Porkhead Al Dente” (2016); “Wheatnoodles Affair” (2017); “Sauerkraut Coma” (2018); and the sixth installment, “Leberkäs Junkie” (2019).

Ed Meza @edmezavarSpanish distributors, who have enjoyed a strong track record selling remake rights to local pics, have received a major boost this year with the Malaga Festival Industry Zone’s (MAFIZ) inaugural Remake Day event on Thursday.Leading film sales companies, among them Cinema Republic, Latido Films, Filmax and Feel Content, presented showcases of films considered particularly adaptable to foreign markets. Not surprisingly, comedies and genre pics made up most of the selections.David Castellanos’ Cinema Republic offered one strong example with Borja Cobeaga’s  hit 2009 romantic comedy “Pagafantas,” which has over the years sold to Germany, Italy and Mexico.Cinema Republic also touted Icíar Bollaín’s “Rosa’s Wedding” (“La Boda de Rosa”), about a woman in her mid-40s who decides to finally take charge of her life and fulfill her dream of starting a business.

Ed Meza @edmezavarFilmax has acquired the international rights to Spanish helmer Hector Claramunt’s escape room comedy, “You Lie You Die.”The pic is based on Claramunt and Joel Joan’s hit stage play “Escape Room,” which has been seen by more than 200,000 people over the course of four seasons. Joen and Claramunt also penned the film’s script.Described as a “madcap” laffer, “You Lie You Die” follows two couples whose plans to have a fun night out at an escape room go south.

Ed Meza @edmezavarDespite expectations to the contrary, the share of Europe’s audiovisual market controlled by U.S. players grew by only four percentage points from 1996 to 2020, reaching 31%, according to the European Audiovisual Observatory’s 2022 Key Trends report.It’s one of a number of surprising results identified by the study, which the Observatory presented on Thursday at a special event at Series Mania in Lille, France.When excluding European public broadcasting rivals, the share held by U.S.-owned companies climbs to 44%, with heavyweights Sky, Netflix, Amazon and Dazn accounting for two-thirds of that figure.Looking specifically at all SVOD subscriptions in Europe, however, Netflix, Amazon, Apple and Disney dominate, accounting for 72% in 2020, with 40 other players making up the remaining 28%.

Ed Meza @edmezavarFilmax has acquired international rights to Malaga Festival screener “Can’t Live Without You,” an erotic thriller from director Chus Gutierrez (“Return to Hansala”).A Spanish-Mexican co-production, the pic features huge Mexican stars Maite Perroni and Mauricio Ochmann as well as Spanish actors Alfonso Bassave (“I Love You, Stupid”) and Pedro Casablanc.The pic follows David, a successful businessman who who lives a peaceful life with his boyfriend, Alex, an attractive gym instructor. Their world turns upside down, however, when David’s sister Blanca comes back into his life.

Ed Meza @edmezavarWith its focus on Costa Rica, the Málaga Festival Industry Zone (MAFIZ) is showcasing the central American country’s bourgeoning film sector and talent with presentations of feature films, works in progress, projects in development and the country’s scenic locations and support opportunties.Costa Rican filmmakers and their projects are participating in MAFIZ’s various sections, including the Malaga Festival Fund & Co-Production Event (MAFF); Málaga Work in Progress; Málaga Talent and Hack Málaga.Nicole Chi’s documentary “Guián” and Daniel Ross Mix’s “El Zoológico de la Milla 70” (“70 Mile Zoo”) are the two Costa Rican projects taking part in the Work in Progress section. In “Guián,” Chi chronicles her own personal journey of discovery as she travels to China following the death of her grandmother Guián.

Ed Meza @edmezavarSpanish director Ángeles Reiné celebrates family, neighborhood friendships and soccer in her a feel-good comedy “Héroes de Barrio” (“Football Heroes of the Block”).The film, Reiné’s sophomore feature following 2019’s “Salir del ropero” (“So My Grandma’s a Lesbian!”), which screens at the Malaga Festival, follows financially-strapped Seville bar owner Luis, who seeks to impress his young daughter Paula by pretending to be pals with Joaquin, the beloved and charismatic real-life captain of the Real Betis football club. At the same time, he’s angling to get back together with Paula’s mom, the love of his life, who now lives with her new and much wealthier boyfriend.

Ed Meza @edmezavarBarcelona-based Filmax has picked up international rights to “We Won’t Kill Each Other With Guns,” by Spanish director Maria Ripoll (“Live Twice, Love Once”).Described as a generational tale, the film tells the story of a group of friends in their thirties who get together after years of not seeing each other. Ingrid Garcia-Jonsson (“Beautiful Youth”) leads a cast that also includes Elena Martin (“Julia Ist”), Lorena Lopez, Joe Manjon (“The August Virgin”) and Carlos Troya.While the village is getting ready for its annual fest, Blanca (Garcia-Jonsson) is organizing a get-together with all her old friends, whom she hasn’t seen in years.

Ed Meza @edmezavarIn his new documentary, “The Kaiser of Atlantis,” Argentine director Sebastián Alfie tells the story of composer Viktor Ullmann’s chamber opera, about a tyrant bent on waging endless war – written in 1943 in the Nazi concentration camp of Theresienstadt (Terezín) – and, more than 70 years later, a new production of the work in Madrid.Alfie plans to follow up “The Kaiser of Atlantis” — which premieres at the Malaga Festival — with a biopic about Ullmann and the two years he spent imprisoned in Terezín.The director first saw the opera by chance in 2006 at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. “When I read in the playbill that it had been written in a concentration camp, questions began to arise that are the germ of the documentary.

Ed Meza @edmezavarIn their new Spanish series “Días Mejores,” showrunners Adolfo Valor and Cristóbal Garrido explore the difficulties of overcoming the loss of a loved one and the challenges of being left a single parent.They were inspired by the story of an acquaintance who, after the death of her partner, sought help in a grief therapy group. Hearing about the intense dynamics of the group and the participants’ struggles to move forward, Valor and Garrido concluded that it would make for riveting TV.“Días Mejores,” which translates to “Better Days,” premieres in the Malaga Festival’s ever more important Pantalla TV sidebar.The dramedy follows Sara (“Velvet” star Marta Hazas), a mother who suddenly finds herself a widow and unable to comfort her troubled young son.

Ed Meza @edmezavarIn his latest work, which was being singled out for praise on the first day of Malaga’s Spanish Screenings, Imanol Uribe recounts the fateful story of Lucia Cerna, the only witness to the 1989 massacre in El Salvador of six Jesuit priests and two other people by a U.S.-trained death squad at a university residence in San Salvador.“What Lucia Saw” (“Llegaron de Noche”) focuses on the story of Lucia and her husband Jorge, who, with the help of church officials and Spanish and French diplomats, are spirited out of the country to Miami, where they hope to find safe haven. Once in the U.S., however, they fall into the clutches of the FBI and a Salvadoran colonel, who interrogate the couple in an effort to discredit Lucia’s testimony.

Ed Meza @edmezavarRussia-set documentary “Tolyatti Adrift,” which premieres in competition at the Malaga Festival, has debuted its trailer with Variety. The first feature-length work by Spanish director Laura Sisteró is being sold internationally by Prague-based Filmotor (excluding Spain and France).“Tolyatti Adrift” examines life in the Russian city of Tolyatti, once the symbol of socialist pride and home of the famed Lada automobile (currently manufactured by Renault-owned AvtoVAZ), but now known as Russia’s Detroit.

Ed Meza @edmezavarInternational feature film and commercial content group Iconoclast and Berlin-based StickUp Films have established a new joint venture to produce feature films and series for the domestic and international markets.Represented by Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the new shingle, Iconoclast Films Germany, is aiming to produce a minimum of three film or series projects annually within a five-year ramp-up period.The company is headed by Luis Singer and Dennis Schanz of StickUp Films – the creators and co-producers of Netflix’s award-winning series “Skylines” — as well as Iconoclast executive producer Swantje Rummel.Iconoclast sees the new venture as part of its international content strategy and a logical extension of its brand. In addition to producing recent works by the likes of Gus Van Sant (“Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot”), Julian Schnabel (“At Eternity’s Gate”), Harmony Korine (“The Beach Bum”) and Romain Gavras (“The World Is Yours”) through its companies in the U.S.

Ed Meza @edmezavarThe founder of the blockchain-based film sales platform Cinemarket is launching Cineverse, an ambitious start-up that will make it possible for filmmakers, distributors and producers to market films directly using blockchain and NFT tech.Established by Cinemarket CEO Adrian Lugol and partners Vincent Lopez and Daniel Siegler (pictured), Cineverse will allow users to buy, share, gift, sell and resell films over the platform.The idea for the project came to Lugol during Christmas of 2020, when he wanted to give his young nephew some DVDs of his favorite films. The plan was thwarted when he learned the family no longer owned an old-fashioned DVD player.“I was like, wow, how am I going to give you these movies in a simple way?” Lugol recalls.