Banijay Rights Strikes Chile Deal for Hit Format ‘Starstruck’ (EXCLUSIVE)

EXCLUSIVE: Entering the second week of the Cannes Film Festival, Sony Pictures Television has snapped up multi-territory Latin American rights to FilmSharks’ Amor Bandido, with Raymond Murray’s CineNova Releasing taking U.S. rights.

will join the Scarborough Shooting Stars in the coming season as a guard. The season begins May 25.Cole, whose full name is Jermaine Cole, played with the Rwanda Patriots in the Basketball Africa League in 2021.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent“1976,” the awaited first feature of Chile’s Manuela Martelli, has closed first new major territories for sales company Luxbox before its world premiere in Directors’ Fortnight later this upcoming week.The film is produced out of Chile by writer-directors Omar Zúñiga (“The Strong Ones”) and Dominga Sotomayor (“Too Late to Die Young”) at auteur-focused Chile-based Cinestación (“Too Late to Die Young”) as well as Alejandra Garcia and Andrés Wood, another celebrated Chilean director (“Violeta Went to Heaven”) at Wood Productions. Nathalia Videla Peña and Juan Pablo Gugliotta at Argentina’s Magma Cine co-produce.“1976” is set, as its title implies, in 1976, one of the bloodiest years of Augusto Pinochet’s hugely bloody dictatorship.

The Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League will have an interesting rollcall when announcing its roster this season.

basketball, this time in Canada.The Canadian Elite Basketball League tweeted Thursday night that the 37-year-old rapper will join the Scarborough Shooting Stars in the coming season as a guard. The season begins May 25.Cole, whose full name is Jermaine Cole, played with the Rwanda Patriots in the Basketball Africa League in 2021.

Thania Garcia AJR has signed with Mercury Records, the Universal Music label that recently relaunched via Republic Records. The New York-based trio of brothers Adam (vocals/bass), Jack (vocals/guitar), and Ryan (guitar/piano/vocals) Met, are currently in the midst of the U.S.

Christopher Vourlias Gravel Road Distribution Group has acquired world sales rights with producer Rani Sitaram to “Greytown Girl,” a romantic drama set in Apartheid-era South Africa from Oscar-nominated director Darrell Roodt (“Yesterday”).The film tells the true story of a small-town South African girl, Meena, who was born with physical limitations and abandoned as a baby. Through her personal bravery she’s able to build a better life, even as her journey of self-realization and self-love unspools against the dramatic backdrop of Apartheid South Africa’s journey toward its first democratic elections.“What I love most about ‘Greytown Girl’ is its authenticity.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentParis-based Luxbox has shared in exclusivity with Variety a first trailer for Manuela Martelli’s “1976,” one of Chile –and indeed Latin America’s – most anticipated feature debuts of the year which world premieres at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight.“1976” is produced by two of Chile’s most go-ahead outfits – Cinestación headed by director-producer Domingo Sotomayor (“Too Late to Die Young”) and Wood Productions, founded by Andrés Wood whose “Machuca” starred both Martelli and Aline Kuppenheim, the absolute protagonist of “1976.”The film is set, as its title implies, in 1976, one of the bloodiest years of Augusto Pinochet’s hugely bloody dictatorship. It tells, as can be seen in the trailer.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefMumbai-based Banijay Asia has struck a deal with ITV Studios’ Armoza Formats to bring an official adaptation of the award-winning Canadian mini-series, “Vertige,” to screen.The high-profile French-language show deconstructs the alleged suicide of a young girl, Daphne Roussel. Banijay Asia will reimagine the psychological thriller for the Indian audience.With a remit focused on India and, increasingly Southeast Asia, Banijay Asia is a joint venture between Banijay, Stéphane Courbit’s TV production and distribution powerhouse behind “Survivor” and “Peaky Blinders,” and veteran producer Deepak Dhar.The Banijay parent company this week announced that it is set to go public and launch on the Amsterdam stock exchange through a newly-created special purpose acquisition company or SPAC.

confirmed Wednesday.The network accused the Israeli army of targeting the veteran war correspondent, a Jerusalem-born U.S. citizen who had come to be known as “the face of Al Jazeera in Palestine.” The Israeli Defense force has denied that, suggesting she might have been hit by Palestinian fire.Abu Akleh was covering early-morning Israeli raids on a refugee camp in the city of Jenin.

The BBC has struck a pay deal with its staff that will see the majority given a 4.2% pay rise in August followed by 1% later in the year.

Al Jazeera has accused the Israeli authorities of a “blatant murder, violating international laws and norms,” after one of its journalists was killed amidst live fire in the West Bank this morning.

Channel 4 Puts 1,000 Hours Of Shows On YouTube: British broadcaster Channel 4 has signed a deal with YouTube to put 1,000 hours of programming on the Google-owned streaming platform. The agreement expands on an existing partnership between the companies and will allow Channel 4 to sell its own advertising around the show — a first-of-its-kind deal in the UK and Europe. Shows will begin rolling out this month and include 8 Out Of 10 Cats; Location, Location, Location; Nikki Grahame: Who Is She?, SAS: Who Dares Wins and The Dog House. Selected titles will be made available 30 days after their first broadcast on Channel 4 or younger sibling network E4. Channel 4 has been following a five-year ‘Future 4’ strategy to supercharge digital revenues, and its management believes today’s deal represents a “major step” in that process.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefShireen Abu Akleh, veteran TV journalist for Al Jazeera, has been shot and killed in the West Bank. Abu Akleh, 51, was covering an Israeli army raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Her death was confirmed by the Palestine health ministry and later by Israeli sources.

reunion on has come full circle. Ted Wass, who played Mayim Bialik's father on the '90s sitcom, will reunite with his TV daughter on the season 2 finale of her Fox comedy, and only ET has the exclusive first look photos at the sweet reunion. On , Wass plays Harley, Kat's late father who appears in a dream sequence.The actor is the latest star to reunite with Bialik.