Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival has removed Russian director Boris Guts’ “Deaf Lovers” from its Standing with Ukraine program after “serious backlash,” according to festival director Tiina Lokk. In a release, Lokk said the Estonia-Serbia co-production, which will still world premiere in Tallinn’s official competition, has received negative reactions from both Ukrainians and Russians, even […]

“This film is important, but the most important [thing] for us right now is to bring the hostages back home and for the Israel-Middle East conflict to stop as fast as possible,” says Nir Bergman, one of Israel’s most esteemed filmmakers, in a conversation with Variety about his Tallinn competition entry “Pink Lady.” Bergman, whose […]

Hybrid doc series “The Letelier File,” drilling down on what is often said to be the first act of international terrorism committed on U.S. soil, looks like one potential highlight among 11 projects selected for one-to-one meetings at Ventana Sur’s Latam Series Market. “The Letelier File” unites big creative forces in Chilean film-TV – “Prison […]

Covered with laurels for his recent series “Soviet Jeans” (audience award at Series Mania 2024) and for his features “Modris” (Latvia’s Oscar submission 2014) and “Oleg” (Cannes Director’s Fortnight entry 2019), Latvian writer/director Juris Kursietis is competing at Tallinn’s Black Nights Film Festival’s Official Selection with “The Exalted,” due to world premiere Nov. 14. The […]

As Spanish film festivals go, few have demonstrated the mainstream clout and drawing power of this year’s Seville European Film Festival (SEFF), which boasts one of its most audience-friendly lineups of stars and films to date. Sevilla aims to bring the best in European cinematographic culture to the south of Spain for dialogues between new […]

The Seville European Film Festival kicks off tonight in the Andalusian capital city. So, we’ve scoured this year’s program to pick ten titles that show off the selection’s breadth and quality. “The Girl With the Needle” Magnus von Horn (Denmark) Denmark’s submission to the International Feature race unspools in the years after World War II […]

The 21st Sevilla European Film Festival (SEFF) will take place this Nov. 8-16 under the stewardship of renowned Spanish producer and leading industry figure Manuel Cristobal. Among his directives in his sophomore year at the helm, Cristobal wants to strengthen the bonds between the festival, the city of Seville and its people. To do that, […]

Ricardo Curtis and Rodrigo Perez-Castro’s CG-animated family feature “Night of the Zoopocalypse” is making its market premiere at this year’s AFM, co-represented globally by Anton and Charades. Viva Pictures handles distribution in the U.S. and will release the film on March 7, 2025. Elevation Pictures will release the film next year in Canada, and Apollo […]

Spanish sales company Film Factory Entertainment has picked up the rights to director Manuel Rios San Martín’s “The Cavern Crimes” and is pitching the feature to potential buyers at this year’s AFM. Alfa Pictures will lead a Spanish domestic theatrical release for spring 2025. The investigative thriller is set in Burgos near the Atapuerca archaeological […]

Firebook Entertainment has acquired worldwide sales rights (excluding Spanish-speaking countries) to Sideral’s buzzy horror feature “In the Flesh” from debut director Ainhoa Menéndez Goyoaga. The two companies will be at this year’s AFM to share the project as part of Spanish Screenings on Tour, a promotional program backed by European Recovery funds. “In the Flesh” […]

Oscar-nominated “I Lost My Body” director Jérémy Clapin’s science fiction drama “Meanwhile on Earth,” his live-action debut, will hit theaters in the U.S. Nov. 8, distributed by Metrograph Pictures. The film follows Elsa (Megan Northam) who, three years after her brother Franck disappears in outer space, spends her days obsessing over the loss. Frozen in place […]

Spain’s emergence as one of Europe’s most desirable shooting locations was no coincidence or stroke of luck. The country has made a concerted effort to build its industry into the powerhouse it is today, courting domestic and international producers to the Iberian peninsula. One of the newest tools available to producers interested in working, setting […]

N Lite animation studio has unveiled a new partnership with Emmy-winning Japanese anime studio Gonzo K.K. (“Afro Samurai”) and Oscar-winning “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” director Peter Ramsey to produce two animated projects: a noir thriller feature titled “Ripper” and the sci-fi adventure series “Hotaru.” Ramsey is lined up to executive producer and co-write the screenplay […]

French indie animation powerhouse TeamTO, which announced insolvency in September, has accepted an acquisition bid from Milan-based Riva Studios, which is subject to approval from the Tribunal Commerce de Paris. A hearing was planned for today but has been postponed until Nov. 20. TeamTO is the production company behind the Children’s & Family Emmy-winning Netflix […]

Greenpeace will use humor to change the way people discuss climate change with its new animated series, “My Pet Footprint.” An animated comedy aimed at Gen Z but meant to be enjoyed by audiences of all ages, “My Pet Footprint” follows 15-year-old Bella and her sentient carbon footprint, Betty, imbued with the collective guilt of […]

“The Big War,” one of Europe’s most ambitious feature projects brought to market at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, is heading the AFM with some incredible new graphics for its CG animal cast. Inspired by the iconic two-part graphic novel “La Bête Est Morte,” written by Edmond-François Calvo during the Nazi occupation of France during […]