Anurag Kashyap Rips Indian Studio System at Toronto IFFSA Masterclass: ‘I Have a Massive Problem With Authority and Authority Has Problems With Me’

EXCLUSIVE: Lisa McGee has signed with CAA for U.S. representation. 

Naman Ramachandran India’s Matchbox Shots is developing a project on slain Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moose Wala. Indian rapper, singer and songwriter Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, known as Sidhu Moose Wala, was a star of Punjabi-language music and cinema whose work charted on Billboard globally. His work was not without controversy – it delved into raw, unfiltered issues, making him a voice for many.

K.J. Yossman Bella DeLong (“The Winchesters”) and Amber Janea (“A Predator Returns”) have been cast in Andy Fickman’s upcoming horror feature “Blue Light.” Daryl Tofa (“Two-Bit”), Ana Zambrana (“La Traición en la Amistad”), Crystal Lake Evans (“Hightown”), Jarrett Brown (“Colin in Black and White”), John Bucy (“Frasier”) and Finley Rose Slater (“Playing with Fire”) round out the cast. “Race to Witch Mountain” and “Anaconda” helmer Fickman directs the film, which “follows a group of friends on a road trip who soon realize something terrifying and unworldly is threatening their lives.” It is apparently based on “true and and terrifying unexplained events.” The feature, which is set to premiere at AFM, has already sold to Germany (Lighthouse Home Entertainment), India (VR Films and Studios), the Middle East (Eagle Films Middle East) and Poland (Media4Fun).

Zee-Sony Merger Back On Track

Naman Ramachandran Stewart Copeland, founder and drummer of The Police, is reuniting with Indian musician Ricky Kej for the Resonance Climate Concert in Dubai during the COP28 United Nations Climate Change Conference. Copeland and Kej previously collaborated on “Divine Tides,” which won two Grammys and on “Police – Beyond Borders” where the legendary rock band’s classic songs are recreated in global languages.

EXCLUSIVE: On the eve of AFM, Lionsgate has picked up North American and UK rights to Indian action movie Kill for theatrical release in 2024.

Naman Ramachandran Italian auteur Luca Guadagnino and Indian filmmakers Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti‘s Tiger Baby will lay the ground for future collaborations at a Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival event. The event, designed as a celebration of Guadagnino, will honor his work. “Tiger Baby’s celebration of Luca Guadagnino’s contributions to world cinema marks a significant step toward fostering international collaboration and sharing diverse stories with a global audience.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Bhutan’s official Oscar entry “The Monk And The Gun,” Pawo Choyning Dorji‘s follow-up to “Lunana: A Yak in The Classroom,” has been bought by a raft of well-established international theatrical distributors. Following its festival premieres at Telluride, Toronto, Rome and Busan, “The Monk and the Gun” has been sold by Films Boutique to Pyramide Distribution (France), September Films (Benelux), Rialto Distribution (Australia), Future Films (Scandinavia), A Contracorriente (Spain), Lev Films (Israel), Aurora Films (Poland), Trigon (Switzerland), Alambique Films (Portugal) and Impact Films (India and Indian Subcontinent). Earlier this week, the crowdpleaser was also acquired by Roadside Attraction for the U.S.

Naman Ramachandran Jayant Rohatgi’s feature directorial debut “Sumo Didi” has its world premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival‘s Asian Future strand. The film is based on the life of Hetal Dave, India’s first professional female sumo wrestler. Rohatgi, a veteran of TV commercials, was on the lookout for a story with a strong human connection to make his feature film debut.

Mumbai Film Fest To Honor Luca Guadagnino & Mani Ratnam

Jordan Moreau The International Documentary Association announced the 17 feature-length and 25 short documentaries included on the shortlists for the 39th IDA Documentary Awards, which will be held during the week of Dec. 11in Los Angeles.

There were two major new entries this weekend at the international box office, one local (Tamil thriller Leo: Bloody Sweet) and one from Hollywood. Starting with the latter, Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon from Apple, Paramount and Imperative Entertainment, had a big opening with $21M in 63 offshore markets and No. 1s in 24 of those, including France, Germany, Australia, Spain, Netherlands and Switzerland. The global bow, factoring in its strong domestic opening, was $44M; great for a period movie with a long running time and at a moment when talent could not promote it due to the actors strike.

Nineties pop star Jas Mann, who was the lead singer of Babylon Zoo, is now living a very different life, just like this 90s star who was also propelled to international stardom. Known for his iconic look – short hair tucked behind his ears, a goatee beard and geek chic specs – Jas, now 52, made waves with the song Spaceman, which was the fastest selling single in the UK for 30 years.

A popular Indian street food restaurant is bringing its famous build-your-own naan rolls and rice bowls to Manchester. Rola Wala will be opening its doors on Deansgate, next to KFC and Pret a Manger from early November.

EXCLUSIVE: Beach House Pictures is riding the crest of an Asian true crime wave. Having created three premium doc projects for Netflix, the Singapore-based producer has now optioned the story of the disappeared Instagram adventurer Justin Alexander.

A pair of newlyweds fell in love with a stray dog while on honeymoon in Mauritius - and now they want to to fundraise £2,000 to bring it back. Raechel Eastwood, 30, and husband Adam, 33, were smitten with the pooch when she approached them on beach.

Naman Ramachandran Top Indian actor and emerging producer Taapsee Pannu is on a tear with a welter of projects lined up. Pannu debuted as a producer with horror-thriller “Blurr” (2022) that she co-produced via her Outsiders Films. The company’s next, “Dhak Dhak,” which follows four women who set out for a road trip to the highest motorable pass in the world on a motorbike journey of self-discovery, went on theatrical release on Oct.

The co-heads of Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival, which was rescheduled at the eleventh hour this week due to the Israel-Gaza crisis, have vowed that the event will go ahead in some shape or form.

Tom Brady is still living his best life in the water. The retired football star took to the waters of Indian Creek, an exclusive 300-acre island located on the waters of Biscayne Bay, in Miami Beach, Florida. He enjoyed jet boarding, tugged by his $6 million yacht Tw12ve Angels.Brady, who recently lost 10 pounds, then soaked up the sun shirtless, proving that being retired doesn’t mean the workouts stop.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Bertrand Bonello‘s “The Beast,” a dystopian romance drama starring Lea Seydoux (“No Time to Die”) and George MacKay (“1917”), has been bought by distributors in all major markets following its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival. Represented in international markets by Kinology, “The Beast” has sold to the U.K. (Vertigo Releasing), Italy (iWonder), Spain (Caramel), Australia and New Zealand (Rialto), Benelux (Imagine), Scandinavia (NonStop), Latin America (Impacto), Middle East (Front Row), Poland (New Horizons), Greece (Weirdwave), Portugal (Alambique), CIS (Capella), Romania (Transilvania), Bulgaria (Cinelibri), Ex-Yugoslavia (MCF Megacom), India (Superfine) and Indonesia (P.T.