BAFTA Unveils Special Award Winner & Host For 2024 Craft Gongs; SkyShowtime Ad Plan; Tatino Partners With Netflix – Global Briefs

All eyes were on Olly Alexander as he took to the stage at Malmo Arena in Sweden to represent the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest. And it while it wasn't meant to be for us this year, with a brutal zero points in the public vote, we did fair slightly better than last year.

It's nearly that time again for the Eurovision grand finale to appear on our small screens.

EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of the Cannes market, Lionsgate has taken North American rights off the table on one of the bigger-budget new packages that’ll be on sale next week: that’s action-thriller Mutiny, which will star action evergreen Jason Statham (Fast & Furious) and be directed by Jean-François Richet (Plane).

A brand new private terminal delivering a ‘premium sanctuary’ is coming to Manchester Airport, with food curated by one of the city's most acclaimed chefs. Guests will be able to book a BMW to whisk them to their flight at the new "state of the art facility".

Rising Riyadh-based independent studio Telfaz11 and newly launched UK distribution label Metis Films are partnering to release Saudi hit Mandoob in the UK and Ireland.

Alex Ritman With vibrant green carpets no doubt already having been sourced for its various global premieres, “Wicked” is expected to be one of the biggest movie events this winter. It certainly ticks all the necessary boxes — a major musical adaptation of one of the world’s most successful stage shows and featuring an all-star cast led by the almost-EGOT Cynthia Erivo and, in her first feature-film lead role, pop princess Ariana Grande.

The BFI is once again heading to the Cannes Market with its so-called Great 8 — a selection of projects from first and second-time filmmakers that it will present to international buyers. 

Shogun director Jonathan van Tulleken will lead a TV adaptation of Andrew Michael Hurley‘s debut novel, The Loney.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The Monte-Carlo Television Festival will present its International Golden Nymph for Most Promising Talent to British actor Simone Ashley at its opening ceremony on June 14. The award recognizes the “exceptional rising talent of an actor who has elevated the bar of excellence to international acclaim.” Ashley is known for portraying Kate Sharma, the female lead of Season 2 of the Netflix series “Bridgerton.” She reprises her role in Season 3, which premieres next month.

Jack Dunn GKIDS and European animation distributor Anime Ltd. have acquired global rights to Naoko Yamada’s new film “The Colors Within.” GKIDS has acquired the film for North America, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand, while Anime Ltd. has acquired the film for the United Kingdom, Ireland, and all of Europe.

GKIDS, the Academy Award®-winning producer and distributor announced a multi-territory acquisition of The Colors Within (Japanese title: Kiminoiro) which is directed by Naoko Yamada (A Silent Voice), with production from studio Science SARU (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off). 

Paddy McGuinness has said he and ex Christine will 'support each other through anything' following their split. The couple are continuing to live together two years after their separation.

The Inbetweeners‘ James Buckley will be returning to 2:22: A Ghost Story when it returns to London’s West End next month.The actor, who played Jay Cartwright in the hit comedy series, will reprise the role of Ben opposite Stacey Dooley, who will be making her West End debut as Jenny. The play made its debut in the West End in 2021 and has enjoyed various successful runs in different theatres since then, while also being taken on tour throughout the UK.Buckley will appear in the play from May 25 to August 4 at London’s Gielgud Theatre as part of the show’s seventh West End season.

EXCLUSIVE: Noah Media, producer of Netflix’s 14 Peaks and Sky’s Villeneuve Pironi, has restructured to focus on international docs and laid off a small number of staff.

Tom Holland and his brother Harry Holland were pictured arriving at the opening night of the Sands: International Film Festival of St Andrews. The Scottish film festival is set to take place over three days.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent NBCUniversal Studio Group chair and chief content officer Donna Langley will be celebrated at the Cannes Film Festival, where she will receive the Women in Motion Award from Kering‘s chairman and CEO François-Henri Pinault, Cannes president Iris Knobloch and director Thierry Fremaux. The awards ceremony will take place at a glamorous gala dinner hosted by Kering on May 19, which will bring together major talent and executives attending the festival.

Iran is "within minutes" of developing a nuclear capability and "mad enough to use it", the Government has been warned.

official website, the organisers explained that “Challenging trading conditions coupled with significantly increasing costs in a very challenging economic climate has made it impossible to deliver the event to the standard our customers have become accustomed to.”They continued: “This is not a decision we have taken lightly and the whole team is devastated by this after all their hard work over the past 12 years since the festival’s inception.“It saddens us even further that unfortunately this situation does not only apply to us with a significant number of festivals like ours in the UK and internationally already cancelling or postponing their events for the same reasons.”The ended by saying “For us it’s important to prioritize the wellbeing and the long-term sustainability of the festival and by regrouping in this way we can deliver on our commitment to further high-quality experiences in the future.”Refunds will be available for ticketholders as well as the option to have tickets will roll over to the 2025 event. Plans for next year’s festival will be announced in the summer.Pennfest is the most recent festival to cancel in the UK, joining the likes of Barn On The Farm, Nottingham’s annual Splendour festival and more.Last month, it was revealed that 21 UK festivals have now been cancelled, postponed or scrapped – with 100 at permanent risk without action.“Without intervention, it’s expected that the UK could see over 100 festivals disappear in 2024 due to rising costs.

Led by Dune: Part Two and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Warner Bros has crossed the $1B mark at the international box office, becoming the first studio to reach the milestone this year. Getting there in just 15 weeks, this also sets a new speed record for WB, besting the 17 weeks it took in 2018. The full international estimate through today is $1.04B.

Simon Murray, a popular and respected figure in the international TV business, has died aged 64.