Global streaming platform Izzy, which specializes in Israeli shows and films, is set to exclusively launch “Kugel,” the highly anticipated prequel to Netflix hit “Shtisel,” on Feb. 28 to its subscribers across more than 60 countries. Variety spoke to Nati Dinnar, Izzy’s co-founder and CEO, about the show and why he was so keen to […]

Leading arthouse sales agency the Match Factory, which is part of Mubi, has appointed Agathe Valentin as sales director, a newly created role. The company’s slate includes Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance,” starring Demi Moore, which won best screenplay in Cannes and best actress at the Golden Globes. The appointment comes ahead of the Match Factory’s […]

Haut Et Court has taken French distribution rights to the upcoming historical epic “The Captive,” directed by Alejandro Amenábar, best known for “The Others” and Oscar winner “The Sea Inside.” The $15 million film, which shot last year at locations in Valencia, Alicante and Seville in Spain, is now in post-production. Film Constellation handles worldwide […]

Dogwoof has acquired international sales rights for “2000 Meters in Andriivka” by Ukrainian filmmaker and Pulitzer Prize-winning AP journalist Mstyslav Chernov, director of the 2024 Academy Award winner for best documentary “20 Days in Mariupol.” “2000 Meters in Andriivka” is set to have its world premiere Jan. 23 at Sundance Film Festival as part of […]

Filmmaker Gus Van Sant, best known for Oscar winners “Good Will Hunting” and “Milk,” has come on board to back psychosexual thriller “Antinous,” a modern-day drama inspired by the life and death of Antinous, the gay lover of the Roman emperor Hadrian. Visual artist Stuart Sandford wrote and will direct the film, which will be […]

French romantic comedy “This Charming Girl” and French comedy “Vanishing Goats” have joined the slate of Paris-based sales company MPM Premium, which will introduce the films to buyers at the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris. “This Charming Girl,” directed by Jean-Luc Gaget and co-written with Raphaële Moussafir, will be released in France by Nour Films. The […]

Sandro Aguilar’s “First Person Plural,” which screens at International Film Festival Rotterdam in the Tiger Competition, has launched its trailer with Variety. The film is produced by O Som E A Fúria, the company behind Miguel Gomes’ “Tabu” and “Arabian Nights,” Eugène Green’s “The Portuguese Nun” and Lucrecia Martel’s “Zama.” “First Person Plural” centers on […]

International Film Festival Rotterdam has revealed its Cinema Regained program, which showcases restored classics, documentaries on cinema and works by filmmaking masters. This year’s Cinema Regained selection shines a light on filmmakers whose contributions have shaped cinema history, both celebrated and overlooked. After a 30-year hiatus, Burkinabé director Drissa Touré makes his return with the […]

Emma Thompson, Anna Friel, Christopher Eccleston, Julian Ovenden and Rebecca Root have joined the cast of feature film “Hear Me Roar,” a drama about a groundbreaking British trans marriage case. The script is co-written by Lisa McMullin and Ashley Bayston, whose story it tells. The feature will be directed by Amy Coop and produced by […]

Studio 100 Film has added the action-packed animated feature “Rally – From Paris to the Pyramids” to its slate and will present the first footage from the film to buyers at next month’s European Film Market in Berlin. “Rally – From Paris to the Pyramids” is produced by Qvisten Animation, Scandinavia’s leading animation studio, known […]

Variety is debuting the trailer, poster and a fresh still for “Armand,” which has been shortlisted for the international feature film Oscar. IFC Films launches the Norwegian film in U.S. theaters on Feb. 7, for a limited release, and wide on Feb 14. The poster, shown below, is designed by esteemed artist Akiko Stehrenberger. Halfdan […]

Sales company Lightdox has boarded Igor Bezinović’s hybrid documentary “Fiume o morte!,” which premieres in the Tiger Competition section of the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The Croatian-Italian-Slovenian coproduction takes the audience back to 1919, when the Italian nationalist poet, dandy and preacher of war Gabriele D’Annunzio occupied the city of Fiume. “Today, the citizens of […]

Uniqa SEE Future Foundation has teamed with Sarajevo Film Festival and Slano Film Days to launch the Female Filmmakers Support Program, whose purpose is to boost the careers of women in the film industry in South-East Europe. The program will operate in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Romania and Montenegro, but it is possible […]

London-based international documentary sales and production outfit Dogwoof has secured further international sales for Shiori Ito’s “Black Box Diaries,” which was Oscar-shortlisted last week for documentary feature. The film premiered in competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and has since been an audience and critical favorite at international festivals worldwide, picking up several awards […]

The European Film Market, which is part of the Berlin Film Festival, has revealed that spaces for exhibitors at the EFM’s various venues are fully booked. The EFM, which runs Feb. 13-19, also announced this week it has introduced an award for distributors and created what it calls an Innovation Hub as part of an […]

Sky Documentaries UK, Optomen and All3Media Intl. have revealed the trailer (above and below) for original feature documentary “Becoming Madonna,” which premieres on Dec. 30 on pay TV platform Sky in the U.K. “Becoming Madonna” is an immersive and archive built film around recently uncovered audio tapes in which a young Madonna reflects on her […]