Busan Hires Deputy Director; Hernan Lopez Launches Consultancy; Indian Amazon Streamer Buys Turkish Drama; RTVE Management — Global Briefs

Tamara Lawrance & Sharon D. Clarke Board BBC‘s ‘Mr Loverman’

Caitlin Clark has officially been drafted into the WNBA, marking a dream come true!

Caitlin Clark, who helped grow the popularity of women’s basketball with her record-breaking college career at the University of Iowa, was the most no-brainer pick of the WNBA Draft on Monday, going No. 1 to the Indiana Fever.

Former Venice Film Festival head Marco Müller has been named Artistic Director of Italy’s Taormina Film Fest. 

Un Certain Regard title “Việt and Nam” by Vietnamese auteur Trương Minh Quý. Shot on 16mm stock, the film is a drama about two young miners who must complete a mission before fate pulls them apart. “In the depths of the underground coal mines, where danger awaits and darkness prevails, Nam and Việt, both young miners, cherish fleeting moments, knowing that one of them will soon leave for a new life across the sea.

It’s no secret that the right lingerie is the secret to creating the perfect base for any outfit, and as well as making sure your underwear fits right, embracing luxe fabrics is a great way to make you feel more confident, even if you’ve got the most simple outfit on top. If you’re in need of a little confidence boost, Jennifer Lopez’s new collection with Intimissimi is the perfect place to shop.

Selena Kuznikov Edgar Burcksen, longtime editor of features, documentaries, and TV series, died Sunday in Los Angeles of complications of a heart attack. He was 76. Burcksen won an Emmy for editing the pilot of “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles” as well as an ACE Robert Wise award.

Morgan Wallen has defended Taylor Swift after a mention of the singer at his recent Indianapolis show prompted booing from attendees.The country star was performing back-to-back shows at Indiana city’s Lucas Oil Stadium on April 4-5 when he made a joke that sparked a mixed response from fans.“They told me right before I walked on stage that this is the single most attended concert in the history of this building,” Wallen told fans to cheers on Friday night (April 5), as revealed in a fan-shot video.“And that we’re the first people to do it two nights in a row, so thank you for making it possible for me to say that.”Morgan Wallen defends Taylor Swift after his fans booed when he joked that her show will break his attendance record in Indianapolis:“We ain’t got to boo, we ain’t got to boo.” pic.twitter.com/9Qxp4TPTDD— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) April 8, 2024The singer then joked that he’d probably only be holding that achievement “until Taylor Swift comes to town”, which was met by boos from fans.“We ain’t got to boo, we ain’t got to boo,” the singer responded, before adding: “I appreciate that. I know you all got my back though.”Wallen followed his performances with a post on social media reading: “First 2 shows of the tour were unforgettable.

A French adaptation of Beta Film‘s International Emmy-winning Turkish thriller series Persona is in the works with a female protagonist.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor French broadcaster M6 has greenlit a French-language adaptation of Turkish crime drama “Persona,” to be titled “Mémoire Vive.” Instead of a male protagonist, as in the Turkish version, it will have a female main character, Esther Lefevre, to be played by Clementine Celarie, whose credits include “Six Women,” “Betty Blue” and “Two Is a Family.” “Mémoire Vive,” which will comprise four hour-long episodes, is being produced by Calt Studio. It is written by Laurent Burtin (“Astrid: Murder in Paris”), Anne-Gaëlle Daval (“Ladies”) and Hélène Lombard (“Call My Agent!”).

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor “Franklin” director Tim Van Patten, who won Emmys for “Boardwalk Empire” and “The Pacific,” says that although he loves history and is a history buff “this was a slice of history I was not aware of.” Van Patten, who was also Emmy nominated for “The Sopranos,” “Sex and the City” and “Game of Thrones,” adds: “For me, at this point in my career, I like to take myself to a world I don’t know, and also to do the same with the audience.” “Franklin,” which stars Michael Douglas, has its world premiere at series festival Canneseries on April 10 in Cannes, France, in the presence of cast and crew. The show, which is a co-production between ITV Studios America and Apple Studios, makes its global streaming debut April 12 on Apple TV+.

Star Wars franchise filmmaker George Lucas has been revealed as the richest celebrity in the world.The director, 79, who has accumulated a $5.5billion fortune, topped the annual Forbes list of celebrity billionaires.Lucas, who was the executive producer, writer and director of the Star Wars franchise up until Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith in 2005, also produced the Indiana Jones film series.His production company, Lucasfilm was sold to Disney in 2012 for $4billion, and has produced the later films in the Star Wars series, along with other projects.In his early career, Lucas wrote and directed the 1973 hit, American Graffiti, for which he received Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Picture.But it was 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, the first film in the franchise, which would secure his success, becoming the highest-grossing film at the time and winning six Oscars, as well as nominations for Best Picture and Best Director.Lucasfilm have also produced two upcoming Star Wars spin-off series, The Acolyte, and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, both scheduled for release this year.Sitting at second place on the list is celebrated director of Jaws, E.T: The Extra Terrestrial and Jurassic Park, Steven Spielberg, with a hefty $4.8billion.Others in the top 20 list include NBA star Michael Jordan, broadcaster Oprah Winfrey, Lord Of The Rings creator Peter Jackson, and singer Taylor Swift.Swift appeared on the annual list for the first time, in 14th place, following reports by Bloomberg last October that she had become a billionaire.The singer, 34, has broken multiple streaming, box-office and ticket sale records in the past year with the success of her global tour and the release of the concert film, Tay

Morgan Wallen will play back-to-back gigs at the Colts’ home Lucas Oil Stadium as part of his ongoing ‘One Night At A Time Tour’ with special guests Bailey Zimmerman, Nate Smith and Lauren Watkins.This pair of concerts are the 30-year-old’s first official headlining sets since November 2023. While we don’t know what he’ll bring to the stage this time around, he performed 24 songs on most nights on the first leg of the tour based on our findings at Set List FM.For fans that want to attend, last-minute tickets are available.At the time of publication, prices start at $66 before fees on Vivid Seats.General-admission floor seats can be scooped up for as low as $172 before fees.Still need more details?We’ve got everything you need to know and more about Morgan Wallen’s Lucas Oil Stadium concerts below.All prices listed above are subject to fluctuation.A breakdown of all the best ticket prices by section at Lucas Oil Stadium for the two concerts can be found here:(Note: The New York Post confirmed all above prices at the publication time. All prices are in US dollars, subject to fluctuation and include additional fees at checkout.)Vivid Seats is a verified secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.

BBC Studios Launches First Kids Streamer In Korea

Antigravity Academy have announced the inaugural class of fellows for its Screenwriters Camp. The incubator program, which Variety exclusively announced last year, is designed to develop and package features from first-time emerging filmmakers.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italy’s Indiana Production – which is part of pan-European studio Vuelta Group – is making a significant move into the comedy space by forging a multi-picture deal and a creative collaboration pact with multihyphenate Gennaro Nunziante who has directed top local hits including “Quo Vado” that is the country’s all-time highest grosser. Nunziante – who is a writer/director and sometimes actor – and Indiana are jointly mounting a pipeline of theatrical movies with smart storylines rooted in present-day social issues that, at least in some cases, will seek to travel outside Italy.

Naman Ramachandran Popular Bollywood actor Boman Irani is making his directorial debut with “The Mehta Boys.” Irani starred in 2002 Locarno title “Let’s Talk” and shot to Bollywood fame with his roles in “Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.” (2003) and “Main Hoon Na” (2004). He also had significant roles in “Khosla Ka Ghosla” and “Don” (both 2006) and “3 Idiots” (2009). Irani has more than 100 acting credits with his most recent film release “Dunki” being one of the top 10 Indian hits of 2023.

The Goat Life (previously titled Goat Days) will release in theaters across the UK, India, Australia and France today.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Busan International Film Festival has postponed the appointment of a permanent festival director. A new leader may be appointed after this year’s edition in October.Pak Dosin, a former senior programmer, has been appointed as co-deputy director in a dual-leadership structure, alongside co-deputy director Kang Seung-ah. That means that this year’s festival will be held under the leadership of chairperson Park Kwang-su, the recently appointed ACFM director Ellen Y.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Hernan Lopez, the former 21st Century Fox executive who launched podcasting giant Wondery in 2016, has set up consulting firm Owl & Co. aimed at delivering data and analysis designed to help media and entertainment businesses manage the transition to the streaming era. Lopez has put early emphasis on a deep-dive study of the streaming content marketplace, using available viewership and spending data to crunch the ROI numbers based on the cost of TV series and movies.