Berlinale Contender ‘Axiom’ Picked Up By The Playmaker Munich (EXCLUSIVE)

Julia Garner is having quite a year!First, the actress returned to the screen in her Emmy-winning role as Ruth Langmore on, capping off the first episodes of the crime drama's fourth and final season with a meme-worthy scream and a promise to exact revenge on the drug kingpin who murdered her cousin, Wyatt.«It's always funny because… by the time it comes out, I forget like, how intense it was,» Garner told ET recently of the revelations that set up 's final episodes, due out later this year.«You’re just going to have to wait,» she teased. «It gets more intense. It gets very intense. The ending of season [4A], the first half, was just the beginning of the intensity, that ending.»While fans wait for more , Garner can next be seen playing a completely different but equally compelling role: convicted fraudster Anna Delvey, in Shonda Rhimes’ true-crime limited series, . A far cry from Ruth's Southern drawl, the actress had to master a complicated accent in order to portray the German expat, who pretended to be an heiress as she conned hundreds of thousands of dollars out of New York’s high society and financial institutions. Garner first started by learning “a German accent and then Russian and then put it all together,” she explained, adding that she had to subtly layer in a British accent. And because Anna spent so much time in New York City and interacting with Americans, “musically it shouldn’t sound European.

, Arian Moayed has joined another high-profile series,, creator Shonda Rhimes’ true-crime drama about Anna Delvey, the convicted fraudster popularly known as the Fake German Heiress. Moayed, the 41-year-old actor who was also recently seen in and, talks to ET about his scene-stealing performance as Delvey’s no-nonsense lawyer, Todd Spodek, and having to perform his big courtroom scenes in front of his real-life counterpart.Initially hired when Delvey, portrayed here by Julia Garner, was first arrested for not paying for an outstanding hotel bill, Spodek is eventually tasked with defending her against multiple larceny charges related to her attempt to secure a $20 million loan for her elite club, the Anna Delvey Foundation (ADF), as well as sticking one of her friends with a $60,000 bill after failing to pay for their lavish trip to Morocco. Unlike members of New York society, the city’s high-end hotels and restaurants, or even the bank executives who fall under the guise of this German heiress, her lawyer was not enchanted by any of that.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentNewen, the Paris-headquartered production and distribution outfit owned by TF1 Group, has upped Karine Atlan to the position of executive VP of Newen Connect. Under her new role, Atlan will spearhead co-productions and international acquisitions for Newen Connect, the company’s distribution arm.

DEALSUniversal’s Republic Records has expanded its partnership with K-pop company JYP Entertainment, they having worked together to launch girl group Twice in the US. “We are beyond delighted to move forward with Republic Records”, says JYP CEO Jimmy Jeong, so to develop a “major artist roster” together after “the successful kick-off Twice has brought”.————————————————–APPOINTMENTSUlf Zick has joined Utopia Music as Chief Marketing Officer.

Manori Ravindran International EditorThe European Film Market studio used to shoot many of the virtual event’s online sessions has been temporarily shut down following a break-in on Thursday night.Sources tell Variety that key pieces of equipment were stolen from the studio, and all sessions that were set to be filmed there on Friday have been forced to go remote.The festival, which has confirmed the break-in to Variety, is currently liaising with the EFM and the police, who are investigating the incident. More details are expected shortly.As revealed by Variety, the EFM made the decision to go online in January following the rise of omicron in Germany.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorAltered Innocence has picked up all U.S. rights to Isabelle Stever’s sixth feature film “Grand Jeté” prior to its premiere on Friday in the Panorama section of Berlinale. The film stars Sarah Nevada Grether as Nadja, a woman who has estranged herself from her young son in order to be able to concentrate on her ballet career.

Christopher Vourlias Berlin Golden Bear winner Radu Jude (“Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn”) is set to begin production in Romania on his next feature, Variety can reveal.“A Case History” analyzes the relations between individuals and multinational companies in the mad dash of new Romanian capitalism, starting from the real story of preparing and shooting a problematic work safety video. Principal photography is slated to begin in summer or early fall.“The film is composed of two parts which respond to each other, forming a diptych of sorts,” said Jude.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorGlobal Screen has secured a presale of the female-led drama “Lost Transport” to Menemsha Films for the U.S. and Canada ahead of the European Film Market in Berlin.Inspired by true events, the film tells the story of the final days of World War II when German soldiers abandon a deportation train, leaving the fate of its occupants in the hands of advancing Russian troops.

Emiliano De Pablos Barcelona-based indie sales outfit Filmax has taken international sales rights to Jorge Dorado’s noir thriller feature “Objetos” (“Lost & Found”), starring “Money Heist” actor Álvaro Morte.Filmax is launching the film onto the market with a first promo at this year’s European Film Market.Shot October-November at several locations in Spain and Argentina, including Madrid and Jujuy, the film is currently in post-production.“Lost & Found” is produced by Cristina Zumárraga and Pablo Bossi at Tandem Films, the Madrid-based production company, whose recent titles include award-winning comedy “Rosa’s Wedding” and toon feature sales hit “Turu, the Wacky Hen.” A Spain-Argentina-Germany co-production, “Lost & Found” also teams Spain’s Setembro Cine (“A Fantastic Woman”), Argentina’s Pampa Films (“Chinese Take-Away”) and In Post We Trust (“Unknown Origins”), plus Germany’s Rexin Film, with the participation of Spanish pubcaster RTVE, Amazon Studios and Germany’s ZDF.Written by top Spanish scribe Natxo López (“Stolen Away,” “Unauthorized Living”), “Lost & Found” is sets against the sordid world of human trafficking, moving between some characters who treat objects with as much as care as people and others who treat people as if they were objects.The film follows Mario, who works at a large lost and found office, where he looks after all the missing items that have built up over the decades.Having decided a long time ago to live a solitary life, Mario spends his free time investigating the origin of the lost objects, with the aim of returning to people these lost pieces of their lives.Only Helena, a young police officer, who often visits the lost and found office, has been able to crack Mario’s hard, outer shell a

, Julia Garner is stepping into the lead as convicted fraudster Anna Delvey in Shonda Rhimes’ limited, true-crime series,. The series should garner more awards attention for the 28-year-old star, who worked closely with Delvey to embody the captivating yet perplexing persona of the German expat who pretended to be an heiress in order to con New York’s social elite and financial institutions out of millions. While Delvey, whose real name is Anna Sorokin, sold the rights of her story to Netflix and even met with Garner when she was still in prison serving out her sentence, she recently wrote in an essay for revealing that “it doesn't look like [she’ll] be watching  anytime soon.” “Even if I were to pull some strings and make it happen, nothing about seeing a fictionalized version of myself in this criminal-insane-asylum setting sounds appealing to me,” Delvey, who is now in ICE custody after violating the terms of her visa, wrote. “I was hoping that by the time came out, I would've moved on with my life.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentThe Gucci family saga isn’t quite over.Just months after the release of Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci” — a film that could see Lady Gaga nominated for her second Oscar — a TV drama and documentary focusing on the Gucci family is in the works from Comcast-backed Sky Studios.The company is in early stages of development on a high-end TV series, and is in pre-production on a documentary series, both of which will tell “the story of a great family and a great brand,” says producer Nils Hartmann, senior VP for Sky Studios Germany and Italy.Both projects were brought to Sky by Leone Film Group, which has an agreement with several members of the Gucci family, including Alessandro Gucci, Guccio Gucci Jr. and Giorgio Gucci.

Jamie Lang Entertainment Master Class (EMC), established in 2005 as a new platform for peer-to-peer TV industry education, has launched the Showrunner Society, a hybrid online/in-person community for showrunners and media executives. The first face-to-face masterclass is planned for this summer, hosted in Germany with supported from film funding agency Film- und Medienstiftung NRW.Described by EMD as “a new way for experienced writers and writing producers to learn the craft of Showrunning,” the platform was designed as a transmedia experience offering users the opportunity to meet and interact with established showrunners from their own regions and from around the world.In addition to a wide-reaching range of online offerings, the jewel in the Showrunner Society’s crown will be its annual four-day, in-person Showrunning Masterclass where a small group of experienced writers, directors, producers and executives will be joined by showrunners from around the world for a series of mentoring sessions and potential shadowing opportunities.

Manchester United are amongst several clubs expressing an interest in signing Bayern Munich and Germany winger Serge Gnabry.

Manori Ravindran International EditorEvan Rachel Wood, Eliza Scanlen, Rufus Sewell and Vanessa Redgrave are set to lead an adaptation of World War II-era book “All That I Am,” Variety can reveal.AGC Studios is fully financing the film, which will be shot in Berlin and Sydney in late summer. The studio, led by Stuart Ford, introduced the project to buyers this week as part of the virtual European Film Market, which generally runs alongside the Berlin Film Festival.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorWorld sales company Global Screen has released the first-look image of “Recipes for Love and Murder,” which has been chosen for Berlinale Series Market Selects lineup at the European Film Market. Acorn has the rights to the series for the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.The 10-part South African and U.K.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorBerlin-based sales agency Picture Tree Intl. has added to its European Film Market slate “Love Thing,” starring top German actor Elyas M’Barek, whose credits include “The Collini Case.” Also on the slate is “Soul of a Beast,” which debuts its trailer below.Despite the virtual nature of the EFM, the company has taken additional office space at the Marriott Hotel in Berlin’s Potsdamer Platz.“Love Thing,” which also stars Lucie Heinze, Peri Baumeister and Alexandra Maria Lara, is directed and written by Anika Decker, whose last feature “High Society” sold widely.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorMunich-based world sales company Global Screen has closed further deals in major territories for the family entertainment adventure “School of Magical Animals,” the most successful German film at the local box office last year. Global Screen will also be selling the sequel, it announced Tuesday.Deals have been closed for China (A-Quest Culture Media), Japan (Fine Films), Latin America (Discovery), Hungary (ADS), Serbia and Croatia (Investacommerce), and Portugal (NOS).

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorNazi-era drama “The Forger,” starring Louis Hofmann of Netflix’s supernatural series “Dark” and the Oscar nominated “Land of Mine,” has debuted its trailer (below) ahead of its world premiere in the Berlinale Special Gala section of the Berlin Film Festival. Beta Cinema will be selling the film at the European Film Market.Based on a true story, Maggie Peren’s film centers on 21-year-old Cioma Schönhaus, who won’t let anyone take away his zest for life.

Wyatte Grantham-Philips editor“Free Chol Soo Lee” has been acquired by global distributor, streamer and production company MUBI.The documentary, which premiered last week at the Sundance Film Festival, will come to U.S. theaters in 2022, with release plans in other territories (Latin America, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Turkey, the U.K.