Highlighting the power of local stories, Italy’s box office has been taken by storm by “The Boy With Pink Pants,” Margherita Ferri’s intimate film telling the harrowing true tale of a 15-year-old boy who took his own life after enduring bullying at school and online. Produced and fully financed by Tarak Ben Ammar’s Eagle Pictures, […]

French pay TV giant Canal+, which is behind “Paddington” producer Studiocanal, has officially split from parent company Vivendi in time for its 40-year anniversary. Making its debut solo on the London stock exchange on Monday, Canal+ enlisted a homegrown executive, Amandine Ferré — who has been at the company for 15 years and was most recently based in […]

Snoop Dogg will star in and co-produce Luc Besson’s next movie, an original sci-fi movie titled “The Last Man.” Although the post-apocalyptic plot is under wrap, it may be connected in some ways to Dogg’s 2009 song “Last Man Standing.” The project is penned by Luc Besson, who successfully dived in science-fiction with the 1997 […]

Pulsar Content has nabbed worldwide sales on “Two Women,” a Canadian sexy comedy which is slated to world premiere at Sundance. Directed by Chloé Robichaud, “Two Women” is written by critically acclaimed playwright Catherine Léger based on her own play, “Home Deliveries,” which is itself a modern adaptation of Claude Fournier’s 1970 comedy “Two Women […]

Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service has bought “The Ugly Stepsister,” a sinister twist on the classic Cinderella story, ahead of the film’s world premiere at Sundance. The movie, which is slated to open the Midnight Section in Park City, was picked up by Shudder for North American, U.K., and ANZ rights. Memento International represents […]

Vivendi, the Paris-headquartered media conglomerate, is about to enter a new era with its flagship pay TV banner Canal+ Group set for a bow at the London Stock Exchange. Slated for Dec. 16, the listing of Canal+ Group, which is the parent company of “Paddington” producer Studiocanal, is part of a spinoff project which was […]

Miraculous Corp, the joint venture between Mediawan and ZAG, is expanding its leadership team with two executive appointments. Former Gaumont and Mercury Filmworks executive Heath Kenny has been named chief content officer, while Ashley Depp, who was previously at Paramount Pictures, has joined as senior vice president of marketing and franchise. Both will report directly to Andy Yeatman, CEO […]

Music Box has acquired North American rights to “Familiar Touch,” Sarah Friedland’s feature debut which won three major awards in Venice including the Lion of the Future prize. Represented by Memento International, “Familiar Touch” also won best actress for Kathleen Chalfant, and best director in the Horizons section at this year’s Venice Film Festival. Friedland […]

While navigating the country’s worst political crisis since the 1960s, French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and hosted a three-way closed-door meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the backdrop of the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on Saturday. The outing marks Trump’s first international visit since his Nov. 5 election […]

For its starriest edition to date, the Marrakech Film Festival did more than rolling out the red carpet: it opened the doors to Palace Badi, a 16th-century iconic landmark, for an epic dinner offered by HM Mohammed VI and hosted by HRH Prince Moulay Rachid, accompanied by his wife, Princess Lalla Oum Keltoum. The gala evening kicked off with […]

Mubi, which recently planted a flag in the U.S. with the wide release of Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance,” has welcomed Zhang Xin to its board of directors, as part of a new chapter for the rapidly expanding company which will also see Zhang’s New York-based film production and financing group Closer Media become an investor […]

Cannes Critics’ Week has picked the projects that will be part of the 11th edition of Next Step, a programme aimed at helping filmmakers whose short films played at Critics’ Week develop their feature debut. Since its creation 11 years ago, Next Step has accompanied the development of 96 feature projects, with 39 already completed. […]

French President Emmanuel Macron said in a televised address on Thursday evening that he will finish his five-year mandate which ends in 2027 despite pressure for him to resign amid the fall of the government. The government was toppled Wednesday after the parliament gave a no-confidence vote in Prime Minister Michel Barnier. It marks the […]

Sony Pictures International Productions (SPIP) has picked up remake rights to Arnaud Lemort’s French family comedy “Family Therapy” (“Jamais sans mon psy”) from Newen Connect. Under the deal, SPIP will develop localized versions of the French movie around the world, excluding China and France. Produced by Mathieu Verhaeghe and Thomas Verhaeghe at Atelier de Production, […]

Rolling off the streaming debut of its first French original series “The Confidante” and docu “Breaking the Bank,” Max announced two new French shows, and a Spring launch in Turkey during a panel discussion at Content London. In Turkey, Max will bring together BluTV, a local SVOD service which it acquired last year, with HBO […]

Tom Tykwer’s “The Light” will open the 75th Berlin International Film Festival. The German-French production, Das Licht (“The Light”) will be presented as a Berlinale Special Gala out of competition in the Berlinale Palast. The film marks Tykwer’s return to the big screen after seven years and four seasons as writer and director of the hit series “Babylon Berlin.” […]

“Wicked” is now playing in cinemas in Kuwait days after it appeared to have been removed from listings on the eve of its local theatrical release. There had been fears that the film had become the latest Hollywood import to be banned in the Gulf state — with some local media speculating that the move […]

Eva Longoria doesn’t feel that a “Desperate Housewives” reboot is necessary — but if the right idea came along, she’d be the “first to sign up.” Longoria made an appearance at Content London on Wednesday for a panel featuring her production company Hyphenate Media Group, which she co-founded with Cris Abrego last year. While discussing […]

Wild Bunch TV’s “Arcadia,” a high-concept sci-fi thriller series, will return for a second season across 17 territories. The series, produced by Banijay Entertainment’s Belgian banner Jonnydepony, is set in a near-future, in a society where citizens’ rights and entitlements are determined by their scores. “Arcadia” follows a “family of hardworking people with a high […]