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EntertainmentVarietyMusical Adventure ’12 Hours to Destruction’ Sees Kids Battling to Save School Dance
In the Icelandic musical adventure “12 Hours to Destruction,” writer-director Nanna Kristín Magnúsdóttir revels in a wholeheartedly youthful story of a school band battling nasties to save their dance. The film, part of the Finnish Film Affair’s Nordic Selection of works in progress being held this week in Helsinki, is an ambitious project, produced by […]
EntertainmentVariety‘Great British Bake-Off’ Haemorrhages Viewers as it Returns for Season 12 on Channel 4
The latest season of Channel 4’s “The Great British Bake-Off” has gone down like a deflated soufflé with U.K. viewers. Season 12 launched on Tuesday night with an audience of only 5.7 million — its lowest ratings yet since moving from BBC to Channel 4, industry outlet Broadcast reported. It marks a dramatic decline even […]
EntertainmentVarietyUpcoming Biopic ‘Kikka!’ to Spotlight the Many Faces of Finnish Pop Singer (EXCLUSIVE)
Pop singer Kikka, a.k.a. Kirsi Hannele Viilonen, who passed away in 2005 at just 41 years old, will finally get her due in the upcoming biopic being produced by Helsinki’s Komeetta. Founded by producers Daniel Kuitunen and Kaisla Viitala, the production company’s slate already includes Zaida Bergroth’s “Maria’s Paradise,” shown in Toronto in 2019, and […]
SportsVarietyCAA Sports Expands in Asia With Singapore Office and Hires
CAA Sports, part of entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency, is to open a new office in Singapore and has hired Adrian Staiti to the newly created position of president, APAC. He will report to head of CAA Sports International Matthew O’Donohoe. Staiti was previously president of APAC and president of global sales for […]
EntertainmentVarietyPamela Tola on Her Documentary About Finnish Pop Star Alma
The spectacular rise of green-haired Finnish pop star Alma has inspired one of Finnish Film Affair’s most buzzy documentaries in progress, “Alma – Who Am I?” Finnish director and actor Pamela Tola spoke to Variety about her film. Produced by Helsinki production company Lucy Loves and Oskari Huttu, and being pitched at the Helsinki film […]
EntertainmentVariety‘Dune’: Watch Denis Villeneuve Reveal Why He Chose Abu Dhabi’s Liwa Desert as a Double for Arrakis (EXCLUSIVE)
The Abu Dhabi Film Commission is understandably proud that Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures filmed at the Liwa desert, the large oasis area in the Western Region of the Emirate that doubled as the desert world of Arrakis, and in the past also served as a set for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” “Dune” […]
EntertainmentVariety‘Silent Land’ Helmer on World’s Response to Migrants: ‘We Are Closing Our Eyes and Our Borders’
Polish filmmaker Aga Woszczyńska – together with co-writer Piotr Litwin – started to work on the script of her first feature film “Silent Land” in 2016, and notes that since then, her film – which centers on the world’s response to migrants – has sadly become even more timely. Set in Italy, the slow-burning drama […]
EntertainmentVarietyViacom18 Studios, Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions Sign Distribution Deal
India’s Viacom18 Studios and media personality Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions have partnered for a theatrical, broadcast and streaming distribution slate. The two entities will collaborate on a range of Hindi-language films, which are in various stages of production and are expected to release over the next 18 – 24 months. Films under the deal include […]
EntertainmentVariety‘Ray Donovan’: India’s Venkatesh, Rana Daggubati Team for ‘Rana Naidu’ Netflix Adaptation of Showtime Hit
Telugu-language cinema stars Venkatesh Daggubati (“Narappa”) and his nephew Rana Daggubati (“Baahubali”) will star in Netflix India crime drama series “Rana Naidu,” an adaptation of Showtime series “Ray Donovan.” Produced by Locomotive Global Inc., the action drama will follow the life of Rana Naidu, the go-to person for everyone in Bollywood when they have a […]
EntertainmentVarietyNetflix Acquires Roald Dahl Story Company, Plans Extensive Universe
Netflix has acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company (RDSC) and will expand their existing deal to create a universe spanning several formats. A current deal between the companies, struck in 2018, covers a slate of animated TV shows, including a series based on the world of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” from Taika Waititi and […]
EntertainmentVariety‘Intrusion’ Review: Dream House Turns Nightmare in Pedestrian Netflix Thriller
If we have learned anything from movies of recent years, it is that moving into one’s dream house will surely lead to terror and death. That improbable yet familiar arc is traced again in “Intrusion,” wherein the domesticity under threat belongs to a wide-eyed Freida Pinto. Director Adam Salky and writer Christopher Sparling’s thriller will […]
EntertainmentVarietyTrustNordisk Scores Major Sales on Norwegian Disaster Movie ‘The North Sea;’ Unveils Trailer (EXCLUSIVE)
TrustNordisk has closed key deals on John Andreas Andersen’s anticipated Norwegian disaster film “The North Sea.” Now in post-production, the ambitious movie is produced by Fantefilm Fiksjon, which previously delivered the Scandinavian blockbusters “The Quake” and “The Wave” that TrustNordisk sold around the world. The film, the trailer for which has just been unveiled by […]
EntertainmentVariety‘The Auschwitz Report’ Review: When Human Evils Defy Belief
The trouble with unimaginable horror is precisely that: It cannot be imagined. For Alfred Wetzler and Rudolf Vrba, two Slovakian Jews who escaped from Auschwitz in 1944 to bring evidence of the systematic genocide within the camp, the hardest part of issuing The Vrba-Wetzler Report was simply being believed. Director Peter Bebjak’s “The Auschwitz Report,” […]
EntertainmentVarietySpanish Director Jaione Camborda on Childbirth, Death, Life and Spain’s Galicia in the ‘70s
Selected by Variety as a talent to track, Spain’s Jaione Camborda is developing her sophomore effort, “The Rye Horn,” a story that takes place in ‘70s Galicia. After a terrible event, midwife María is forced to become a fugitive and, to wrestle back her freedom, flee Galicia for Portugal along an old smugglers’ route. Camborda attended Prague’s […]
BusinessVarietyViaplay to Launch in U.K., Canada, Germany, Switzerland and Austria
Viaplay, NENT Group’s leading Scandinavian streaming service, is set to launch in five new markets: U.K., Canada, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The company began expanding its international footprint last year with a rollout in the U.S. and Poland, among other countries. The streamer’s launch in the U.K. is scheduled for the second half of 2022, […]
EntertainmentVarietyViacomCBS’ Pluto TV Sets Italy Launch for October With 40 Channels (EXCLUSIVE)
ViacomCBS’ Pluto TV, the fast-growing, free, ad-supported, linear TV-style streaming service, is set to launch in Italy on Oct. 28 with 40 thematic channels spanning multiple genres. Pluto TV’s Italy launch will expand the service’s European footprint, segueing from successful bows in the U.K., Germany, France and Spain. It will also mark Italy’s first FAST […]
CelebrityPeopleCarmelo Anthony Says He Believes Athletes Are 'Naturally' Susceptible to Depression
The 10-time NBA All-Star got candid about his mental health on The Drew Barrymore Show while discussing his new memoir, Where Tomorrows Aren't Promised
CelebrityPeopleInside Willie Garson's Tough and Powerful Journey to Becoming the 'Best Dad Ever'
Willie Garson met his son Nathen as a vivacious 7-year-old while attending a Los Angeles adoption fair in October 2008
EntertainmentPeopleKathryn Hahn Will Play Comedy Legend Joan Rivers in Limited Showtime Series The Comeback Girl
Kathryn Hahn, known for her roles in Transparent and WandaVision, will also executive produce the new show
CelebrityThe Hive AsiaJohn Arcilla finally gets his Coppa Volpi in hand
The actor can finally kiss his Best Actor award after missing the event in Venice
EntertainmentThe Hive AsiaGerald Anderson filming new movie in Austria?
The actor will begin shooting his new project with Mavx Productions
CelebrityPeopleKylie Jenner Says New Kylie Baby Line Has Been 'Tested and Approved' by Daughter Stormi
"I wanted to create something that I would use on my own kids," Kylie Jenner said of her new Kylie Baby line
BusinessVarietySony Pictures Networks and Zee to Merge, Creating Indian Broadcast Giant
Two of the largest broadcast groups in India are to merge, it was announced on Wednesday morning local time. Publicly-listed Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited is to merge with Sony Pictures Networks India. The merged business will be headed by Zee’s Punit Goenka, but following a cash injection of $1.57 billion from Sony India’s backers, the […]
CelebrityPeopleBritney Spears Raves About Her 'Handsome' Sons in Birthday Tribute: 'I'm So Incredibly Blessed'
Britney Spears shares sons Jayden James, 15, and Sean Preston, 16, with ex-husband Kevin Federline
EntertainmentVarietyThe Rolling Stones Pay Tribute to Charlie Watts During First Show Since His Death
The Rolling Stones played the first — albeit unofficial — show of their 2021 No Filter tour at a private event on Monday night. Organized by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, the small concert took place at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., and was their first show since the death of drummer Charlie Watts […]
