International: Last News

Lauren Coates The Palm Springs International Film Society has set the 37th edition of its annual film festival for Jan. 2 through Jan. 12.

Naman Ramachandran Acclaimed filmmaker Deepa Mehta is developing “Sher,” a comedic take on the Sherlock Holmes universe that reimagines the detective’s legacy through an unexpected Indian connection. “It’s a complete fun take on Watson,” Mehta tells Variety. “Sherlock Holmes is dead, and Watson is trying to sell his book about him everywhere, desperate.

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Annika Pham At the industry awards of Copenhagen’s documentary festival CPH:DOX last night, the U.S. project “Untitled Edward Said Documentary” by Maiken Baird, whose credits include Netflix’s “Venus and Serena” and “Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich,” won the new Al Jazeera Documentary Channel Co-Production Award, with a cash prize of €10,000 ($10,800). The project is being produced by Alex Gibney, Paul Dallas and Sarah Mowaswes.

Lise Pedersen Danish director Robin Petré (“Only on Earth,” “From the Wild Sea”) and Oscar-nominated producer Monica Hellström (“Flee,” “A House Made of Splinters”) have unveiled “Wolf Moon,” the third in a loose trilogy exploring the relation between humans and animals. Presented at CPH:FORUM, the industry event of Copenhagen’s international documentary film festival (CPH:DOX), the doc explores how human activity is reshaping animal behavior causing wildlife to be more active at night to avoid humans.

Angelique Jackson Oscar Isaac is set to executive produce and star in “Stowaway,” playing Juan Carlos Guzmán, who is internationally recognized as the “greatest conman alive.” Apple TV+ closed a deal for the rights to the developing project following a competitive situation. Steven Levenson is attached to develop the series, set against a glittering backdrop of wealth and opulence, with the pilot directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon.

Marta Balaga Florence Longpré has brought “Empathy” to Series Mania. “The whole show is built around it,” she tells Variety. “If you haven’t experienced mental issues, it’s difficult to understand what these people are going through.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Paris-based sales company Celluloid Dreams has taken international distribution rights to Taiwanese director Shen Ko-Shang’s drama “Deep Quiet Room,” starring Ariel Lin and Joseph Chang. “Deep Quiet Room” – which has been a standout at the Asian and European co-production markets including Busan’s Asian Contents and Film Market – marks the feature film debut of Shen, a former artistic director of the Taipei Film Festival who previously made several well-received shorts and docs.

Resident Advisor.As a result, a number of artists – including Ikonika, Beatrice M., Mia Koden, BasicDisarm, jtamul, 8ULENTINA and Daytimers – cancelled their Boiler Room performances in the wake of the acquisition.The latter act also dropped “all commitments related to Superstruct-owned events”, saying they refused to be “complicit in genocide” but expressed sympathies “with workers caught up in these acquisitions beyond their control”.A post shared by Boiler Room (@boilerroomtv)Now, Boiler Room has taken to social media to state that its new owners have made investments that “categorically don’t align with our values”. It also reiterated its allegiance to pro-Palestine organisations.The platform wrote: “Boiler Room has been through various changes in control, investors, boards, and ownership, and through this our commitment to editorial independence and Palestine has never wavered.

BAFTA TV Awards will take place on May 11 at London’s Royal Festival Hall. See the full list of nominees below.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent With only one year under her belt as Studiocanal‘s executive managing director of TV series, M-K Kennedy is leveling up the scripted ambitions of the French pay TV group’s production arm. After spearheading Studiocanal’s first in-house international series, “Paris Has Fallen” — which broke rating records on Canal+ and topped the charts on Amazon U.K.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The Match Factory has closed multiple distribution deals for the Berlinale Competition title “Dreams,” directed by Michel Franco, and starring Jessica Chastain and Isaac Hernández. The Match Factory has secured distribution in France (Metropolitan Filmexport), Germany and Austria (Weltkino Filmverleih), Italy (Fandango), Spain (Sideral), Scandinavia (Lucky Dogs), Poland (Best Film), Benelux (Paradiso), the Baltics (ACME Film), Portugal (FILMS 4 YOU), Greece (Spentzos Film), Ascot Elite (Switzerland), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Aerofilms), Romania (Transilvania Film), Hungary (ADS), Ex-Yugoslavia (MCF MegaCom), Turkey (Bir Film), MENA (Front Row), South Korea (NK Contents), and Taiwan (Andrews Film).

Naman Ramachandran Japan‘s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has extended its production incentive program through 2025, maintaining its eye-catching 50% cash rebate on qualifying expenditures. The move continues the momentum of Japan being promoted heavily as a filming location, which was evident at last November’s Tokyo International Film Festival.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Closing a remarkable circle, TF1 espionage thriller “State of Alert,” starring legendary French singer-actor Patrick Bruel in his first major TV work, will world premiere March 27 at Series Mania. The red carpet affair, featuring other cast and crew, will take place at the very same festival where Keshet Intl. head of drama Atar Dekel, having put through initial development, pitched the series as an Israeli project way back in 2018.

Lady Gaga has been hit with a $100m (£77.4million) lawsuit by a surf company who claim she ripped off their logo.Lost International, a surf and lifestyle brand, filed a complaint against her, in a California district court on Tuesday (March 25) alleging that the imagery she has been using to promote her new album ‘Mayhem’ is “substantially similar if not nearly identical” to the logo they trademarked back in 2015, according to documents.The company claim that they have been using the Mayhem trademark since 1986 on surfboards, surf equipment, clothing, accessories and in surf videos, as Mayhem is the nickname of co-founder Matt Biolos.Following the release of her new album, Gaga’s website has been selling T-shirts, sweatshirts and more with a ‘Mayhem’ logo design that Lost claims is “nearly identical” to its trademarked logo.A post shared by …Lost Surfboards Europe (@lostsurfboards_europe)“Lady Gaga’s actions are likely to mislead the public into concluding that her goods originate with or are authorised by Lost, which will damage both Lost and the public,” the complaint adds.“Lost has no control over the quality of goods sold by Lady Gaga and because of the source of confusion caused by Lady Gaga, Lost has lost control over its valuable goodwill.”The company, who calling for a trial by jury, allege that they sent Gaga’s team a cease and desist that was ignored.“Lady Gaga’s ‘Mayhem’ soared to Number One and shattered records, a testament to her unmatched talent and global impact. It’s disappointing – but hardly surprising – that someone is now attempting to capitalise on her success with a baseless lawsuit over the name Mayhem,” her lawyer Orin Snyder said in a statement (via Rolling Stone).

Japan’s Visual Industry Promotion Organization (VIPO) and the Japan Film Commission have announced that the country’s 50% rebate scheme, aimed at attracting international productions, will be extended through 2025. 

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent “The Deal,” the sprawling Gaumont show charting the 2015 behind-the-scene nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, won Series Mania‘s first annual Buyers Choice Award in part due to the timeliness of its geopolitical themes.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent MFE-MediaForEurope, the TV group controlled by Italy’s Berlusconi family, has launched a takeover bid for German broadcaster ProSiebensat.1 as part of its stated ambition to build a pan-European broadcaster that can compete with U.S. streaming giants such as Netflix.

EXCLUSIVE: Abby Ryder Fortson, who starred as Margaret in 2023’s Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret, and as a young Cassie in Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018),  will star in the independently financed feature dramedy, Rated, directed by John Fortson.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Channel 4 has acquired “The Darkness,” an Iceland-set thriller represented by Paramount Global Content Distribution. The deal was unveiled during a Series Mania session with Lisa Kramer, president of international content of licensing at Paramount Global Content Distribution and Lindsey Martin, SVP of co-Productions for CBS Studios.

Addie Morfoot Contributor On Tuesday at Copenhagen doc festival CPH:DOX, European broadcasters, funders and producers, as well as key players from the U.S. market, gathered for a private lunch at the Odd Fellow Palace to discuss the growing threats to journalistic political feature documentaries.