True Brand Entertainment, Led by ‘When Calls the Heart’ Creator Brian Bird, Strikes Multi-Picture Deal With UPtv (EXCLUSIVE)

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Running March 13-17, the Málaga Festival’s Mafiz-Spanish Screenings Content weigh in this year as one of the biggest dedicated Spanish movie platforms in history, boasting also a strong line in Latin American arthouse projects and productions. 10 Takes as the event kicks off, blessed by early Spring sunshine, in the Andalusian city: XXXL In 2022, super-sized by the Spanish Screenings Content, part of Spain’s €1.6 billion ($1.7 billion) AVS Spain Hub, a vibrant Mafiz, the Malaga Film Festival industry area, fair exploded, delivering  a sterling confirmation of Spain’s build as a fiction force in a platform age, aided by robust state sector backing. This year, Mafiz looks even larger. At 1,560 delegates and counting as of March 6, Mafiz is tracking to pass 2022’s final attendance figure of around 1,600, Juan Antonio Vigar, Málaga Festival director told Variety. Participants come from 62 countries, up from 53 last year. “The event’s consolidation is clear,” Vigar added. “It makes us feel that the work we do is useful for the sector,” he adds. 

Naman Ramachandran Asian content heavyweights revealed their thoughts on several subjects at a panel called “The Asian Wave in 2023 and Beyond” on March 13, the opening day of FilMart in Hong Kong. The lively session, moderated by Variety‘s Asia editor Patrick Frater, featured Sebastian Kim, director of international content sales and acquisition at Korea’s CJ ENM, Sanmesh Thakur, executive VP and territory head, Asia Pacific, at India’s Zee Entertainment Enterprises and Ziraviss Vindhanapisuth, VP, international business at Thailand’s BEC World Public Company. The evergreen topic of co-production was discussed in some depth. Kim said: “We’ve been looking for this formula for decades and for now, we find that the best formula of co-production is more like an adaptation of the original — A place to B place production — that’s how we’ve been doing it.”

Ed Meza @edmezavar Filmax has acquired international rights to “Ashes in the Sky,” the first narrative feature from director Miquel Romans. The film is inspired by the life of Neus Català, a feminist and republican who, after fighting in the Spanish Civil War, was captured by the Nazis and sent into forced labor at a weapons factory in Czechoslovakia. There she became the head of an anti-fascist group of women known as the Gandulas Commando, which resisted the Nazis by sabotaging the factory. The film, based on the book of the same name by Carme Martí, stars Nausicaa Bonnín (“Dating in Barcelona”), Rachel Lascar (“Elite”), Iria del Río (“Visitor”), Thomas Sauerteig, Daniel Horvath (“The Burning Cold”), Fernando Corral, Laura Conejero, Roger Batalla, Natascha Wiese and Joaquín Caserza.

It was a ceremony dominated by wins for “Everything Everywhere All At Once” and “All Quiet on the Western Front.” Telecast producers Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner clearly had an idea of what was in store as they slotted the show’s categories to create as much natural drama as possible when, in fact, there turned out to be very few upsets. Still, with the pair booked for three more ceremonies, there was a lot that worked and a lot that didn’t.

A shisha bar which operated for several years despite not having planning permission has been shut down and the owner slapped with a huge fine. 360 Cafe on Wilmslow Road in Rusholme was first told to stop trading in September 2018.

Fly-tipping is a crime all councils are keen to clamp down on.

Manchester United must wait on the fitness of Alejandro Garnacho after the forward was replaced late on in the Premier League stalemate with Southampton.

A violent and controlling bully who put his girlfriends through 'years of hell' has been jailed. Lewis Radcliffe sexually exploited the three women and subjected them to prolonged physical and mental abuse, police say.

An 'opportunistic' thief drove off in an injured woman's car with the boot wide open as she tried to bring her supermarket shopping in. Naveed Hamid is the first of five men who are being brought to justice following a series of car thefts.

K-pop and other Korean pop culture content – or “hallyu”.According to non-profit organisation Korea Foundation’s annual Global Hallyu report, published in cooperation with the Soiuth Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there’s an estimated 13million hallyu fans in Europe as of 2022, per The Korea Times. That number is a 37 per cent increase from the year before.In its report, the Korea Foundation suggests that Europe could be used as a springboard to grow demand for Korean pop culture in the West.

K-pop newcomers NMIXX have released a music video for ‘Young, Dumb, Stupid’, a track from their upcoming first mini-album ‘expérgo’.On March 13 at Midnight KST, the JYP Entertainment girl group dropped their music video for ‘Young, Dumb, Stupid’, which was released on streaming platforms at the same time. The new song is the opening track of their upcoming first mini-album ‘expérgo’, which arrives on March 20 at 6pm KST.In the visual for ‘Young, Dumb, Stupid’, the NMIXX members are confined to pink-themed room when a package containing a pair of goggles arrives for them.

American-European Media Fund APX Group has completed the acquisition of a 50% stake in the UK’s Twickenham Film Studios.

Donald Glover puts his own spin on the cut-out trend at the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday night (March 12) at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Cardi B and Offset are looking cool on the red carpet.

Rihanna bared her baby bump for her third look at the Oscars!

The Jenner sisters are hitting the red carpet!

Kate Bosworth and Justin Long have officially made their red carpet debut!

Before surprising the audience with an awkward joke on stage at the Oscars, Hugh Grant gave a really awkward interview on the red carpet.

Sienna Miller is showing off some skin on the red carpet.