Sales Agent Dutch Features Rebrands as SKOOP Media (EXCLUSIVE)

The nation’s third largest theater chain saw sales jump 50% and losses narrow sharply last quarter, underscoring the rebound of moviegoing despite a sluggish release schedule in August and September.

Jimmy Kimmel says he lost half his fanbase when he began making pointedly critical jokes about Donald Trump, and that he was prepared to quit Jimmy Kimmel Live! if ABC execs demanded he go easy on the then-president.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent France tv distribution has picked up five new documentaries: “The Climate: A 50 Year Battle,” “The Epic History of Europe: From Cesar to Charles de Gaulle,” “Denisova Unveiled,” “Icons of the 20th Century: An Historical Journey” and “MBZ: The Hidden Face of the UAE.” “The Climate: A 50-Year Battle” shines a spotlight on the first time the United Nations set forth the risks human activities pose to the climate in June 1972. The one-off documentary also recounts the scientific and political battles to raise global awareness about climate change in the last 50 years. Written and directed by Alexis Barbier-Bouvet et Elena Sender, “The Climate: A 50-Year Battle” is produced by Effervescence for French Broadcaster France 5.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent ITV in the U.K. has acquired “Bali 2002,” a new four-part drama exploring the everyday heroes directly impacted by the terrorist bombings on the Indonesian island’s tourist hotspots 20 years ago. Represented by Banijay Rights, the drama stars Rachel Griffiths (“Total Control”), Richard Roxburgh (“Rake”) and Claudia Jesse (“Bridgerton”). It will air on the new streaming service ITVX next year. “Bali 2002” was co-produced by Banijay labels, Endemol Shine Australia and Screentime, and marked the first original drama co-commissioned by the Australian streamer Stan and commercial TV group 9Network. The series premiered last month on Stan.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Ziad Doueiri, the French-Lebanese filmmaker of the Oscar-nominated movie “The Insult” who made his TV debut with the hit series “Baron Noir,” will next direct “Fièvre” (“Fever”). “Fièvre” was penned by “Baron Noir” screenwriter Eric Benzekri and has been co-developed by French pay TV group Canal+’s Creation Originale label. The show is being produced by Quad, the Paris-based company behind Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache’s “Intouchables” and the series “The Bonfire of Destiny.” “Fievre” is headlined by two female characters played by Nina Meurisse, who notably starred in Celine Sciamma’s Berlinale competition film “Petite Maman,” and Julia Piaton, from Emmanuel Mouret’s “Love Affair(s)” which was part of Cannes 2020’s official selection.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Sydney Gallonde, the French producer of Make It Happen Studio, is set to re-team with MGM TV Intl. Productions on a biopic of Eugene Bullard, one of the first Black American military pilots who was also a boxer and a jazz musician. Gallonde has acquired the book rights to Claude Ribbe’s biography of Bullard, which shed light on the man’s heroic life and drew headlines on French media across the country when it was published in 2012. Like many Black American entertainers such as Josephine Baker, Bullard left America for Europe and France in 1914 to escape racial segregation, lynchings and prejudice. The young and adventurous man, who was born in Georgia, eventually settled in Paris looking for a better life and worked at a music hall. When WWI erupted, Bullard enlisted in France’s Foreign Legion along with other foreign volunteers, becoming one of the few Black combat pilots during the war. He then volunteered for the French Air Service and later became a flight fighter for the French Army. 

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Amazon Prime Video has scored a pair of deals with Warner Bros. Discovery and Sony to bolster its programming in France with premium titles. The agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery gives Prime Video the first-window rights to exclusive TV series from Warner Bros. Discovery in France, including “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin,” the first two seasons of “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” Ava DuVernay’s miniseries “DMZ” and “Peacemaker” Season 1. Also part of the pact are library TV titles, on a non-exclusive basis. These include “Legacies” (Seasons 1 through 3), “Pretty Little Liars,” “Fringe,” “One Tree Hill,” “The Originals” and “Shameless.”

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Disney has confirmed that it will release “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” in theaters in France on Nov. 9 in spite of the country’s strict windowing regulations. The company previously decided to forgo the theatrical roll out of “Strange World” in France on Nov. 23 in favor of a launch on Disney+. The bold move was seen as an attempt to put pressure on upcoming negotiations to amend the windowing rules which are expected to kick off in January. Under the current guidelines, which were established by the French government just nine months ago, Disney’s pay-VOD window is set at four months, and subscription-based streaming window at 17 months after films debut in theaters. The only way to bypass those French rules entirely is to forgo a release in cinemas.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Paris-based sales and co-production banner Have A Good One (HAGO), has boarded two new series, “Sex (re) Education” (“Septième Ciel”) and “Caro Nostra,” in the run up to Mipcom, the Cannes TV market. “Sex (re) Education” is a 10-part half-hour comedy series directed by Alice Vial, who won the Cesar Award in 2018 with her short “The Winkles.” The series, penned by Clémence Azincourt, Clement Marchand and Vial, follows Jacques, an pensioner who has been placed by his daughter in a retirement home. When he thinks his life is over, he meets Rose and embarks on a passionate and lustful affair, wrecking havoc in the residence. The cast includes Irene Jacob, the well-known actor of Krzysztof Kieslowski’s “Rouge.” Ordered by French pay TV group OCS, the show recently won best series at La Rochelle Fiction Festival and is produced by Next Episode, Henri Debeurme’s UGC-backed company.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Pathé and Chapter 2, a Mediawan company, are set to reteam with “Three Musketeers” director Martin Bourboulon on a riveting thriller set in the backdrop of the fall of Kabul and the takeover by the Taliban. The film is an adaptation of “13 days, 13 Nights, in the Hell of Kabul,” a sprawling real-life account of the events written by commander Mohamed Bida and published by Denoël last month. Bourboulon, who recently completed shooting “The Three Musketeers,” a big-budget two-part saga based on Alexandre Dumas’ masterpiece, will be filming the movie in French and English with an immersive and ultra-realistic style.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Mediawan Kids & Family’s animation label Somewhere Animation is set to produce its first show, “Chefclub Adventures,” a colorful comedy series set in the world of cooking. The Paris-based company, which is dedicated to 2D animation, is partnering up with the popular brand and studio Chefclub to create the series. “Chefclub Adventures” will be distributed in France and worldwide by Mediawan Kids & Family. It will be introduced to buyers at Mipcom Junior as one of the five finalists. Founded in 2016 by the Lang brothers, Chefclub runs an online digital cooking channel and website drawing 2.5 billion views each month worldwide, including 390 million views each month in France and one billion in the U.S., according to Mediawan.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Cinemed, the Mediterranean Cinema Film Festival, is partnering up with Lebanese film org Aflamuna / Beirut DC to launch a new co-production and co-financing initiative aimed at high-profile projects from the Arab world. The new program, which is also backed by France’s National Film Board and is part of the festival’s industry showcase Cinemed Meetings, will present seven projects involving 22 Arab countries, including Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Liban, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Syria, among others. All selected projects are currently in development and are being brought by filmmakers who have previously directed at least one short film.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent IFC Films has acquired North American rights to Cecilia Miniucchi’s “Life Upside Down” which stars Emmy-award winning actor Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”), Radha Mitchell (“Pitch Black) and Danny Huston (“21 Grams”). The movie world premiered at Venice in the Giornate degli Autori sidebar. IFC Films will release the film in select theaters and VOD on Jan. 27 and will stream exclusively on AMC+ in April 2023. “‘Life Upside Down’ is a romantic comedy following three couples, connected by friendship, love and work, who are each stuck in their respective homes in Los Angeles during the beginning of lockdown. Finally forced to face their spouses, friends, lovers, and eventually themselves head on, their lives turn slowly but surely upside-down.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Nordisk Film, the deep-pocketed Copenhagen-based Scandinavian film powerhouse, has launched an advanced LED virtual production stage. Named the Shortcut LED Stage, the venue will provide advanced virtual production services for TV, film, commercial shoots, music videos and live events from Scandinavian banners that are owned by Nordisk Film, as well as other companies around the world. The first film productions that have used the Shortcut LED Stage include “Boundless,” the next opus in the “Department Q” franchise, as well as Ole Bornedal’s psychological thriller “Nightwatch – Demons are Forever,” among other projects.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The European Work in Progress Cologne (EWIP), an annual film industry event taking place in Germany, has unveiled the lineup of its 5th edition which will showcase 28 projects selected out of 150 submissions. The event, set to take place Oct. 17-19 in the run up to the Cologne Film Festival, will hand out approximately €60,000 worth of funding and will introduce a new prize, the EWIP TorinoFilmLab Audience Design Award. All projects will be presented in a 15-minute pitching session to EWIP guests and an international jury. This year’s jury will include Olivier Barbier, head of acquisitions at mk2 films; Vanja Kaludjercic, director of the Rotterdam festival (IDFA); Julien Rejl, Cannes’ Director’s Fortnight’s new artistic director; Saralisa Volm, a filmmaker and actress; and Thanassis Karathanos, producer at Twenty Twenty Vision.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Troy Kotsur, the Oscar-winning actor of “CODA,” has joined Mounia Meddour’s uplifting drama “Houria” ahead of its world premiere at the Rome Film Festival. Meddour’s follow-up to her Cesar-winning film “Papicha” tells the story of Houria, a gifted dancer with dreams of joining the Algerian National Ballet. To make ends meet, she bets in clandestine fights overnight. However after winning a final, Houria is violently assaulted by a man determined to get his money back. When she wakes up in a hospital, she no longer is able to speak and will certainly never dance again. Refusing to abandon her dream, she throws herself, heart and soul, into her physical recovery and meets at a rehab center other women damaged by life. Houria resolves to help them transcend their wounded bodies and stand tall by teaching them how to dance through a choreography inspired by sign language.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent France tv distribution has boarded “Sweetheart” (“Chouchou”), an eight-part drama series produced by well-known Quebec-based company Passez Go. Written by Simon Boulerice, the drama show revolves around Chanelle, a 38-year-old teacher who is happily married with two children. Her life unravels after she meets Sandrick, a 17-year-old teenager who has just been transferred to her class, and falls under his charm. Chanelle tries to help Sandrick as he struggles at home with his dysfunctional mother, but their relationship turns into an illicit and passionate affair that leaves no one unscathed. The series is directed by Félix Tétreault and Marie-Claude Blouin (“Le Chalet”).

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Pulsar Content and XYZ Films have dropped the trailer for “Tropic,” Edouard Salier sci-fi drama which world premiered at Fantastic Fest and will next play in competition at Sitges on Oct. 9. Penned by Salier and Mauricio Carrasco, the film follows Lázaro and Tristán, two twin brothers and best friends who are training together for the Astronaut Academy entrance tests. One day, Tristán is contaminated with some mysterious residue which makes him monstrous physically and weakened mentally. This disaster forces Lázaro to let go of how he remembers his brother and learn to love him as he is now, in a world where there is no room for monsters.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Newen Connect is building up its English-language scripted slate with timely, high-concept titles, including “Wagatha,” a dramatic reconstruction of the viral court case involving Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy, the wives of high-profile British footballers. Newen Connect has also acquired the Australian supernatural bromance “Limbo,” and the inclusive British mystery thriller “Blindspot.” Written by Chris Atkins, “Wagatha” charts the High Court case which stemmed from alleged leaked Instagram stories in 2019 and opposes Rooney and Vardy. Produced by Chalkboard and commissioned by Channel 4, “Wagatha” stars Chanel Cresswell, the BAFTA-winning actor of “This is England,” Natalia Tena (“Game of Thrones”) and Martin Sheen (“The Departed”). Filming just wrapped in September.