Central Partnership Toons Up EFM Slate With New Animated Features (EXCLUSIVE)

As the Russian invasion escalates, Maksim Chmerkovskiy opened up some more about his experiences in Ukraine.

 Saturday Night Live in a move away from the show’s traditional opening sketch.The Chorus, who were founded in 1949 as a way for Ukrainian immigrants to “preserve and cultivate the rich musical heritage of Ukraine”, were introduced by SNL regulars Cecily Strong and Kate McKinnon at the show’s opening.Ukraine has officially severed diplomatic ties with Russia and declared martial law after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an attack on the neighbouring nation on February 24.The Chorus went on to perform an emotive rendition of ‘Prayer For Ukraine’, which you can watch below.After that, the show went on to reveal a set of candles in the shape of the word ‘Kiev’, Ukraine’s capital, which is still currently under siege.“Prayer for Ukraine” performed by Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York pic.twitter.com/5pi2l1Olpx— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) February 27, 2022198 Ukrainians – including three children – have been killed at the time of writing, according to Health Minister Viktor Liashko. A further 1,115 people have reportedly been wounded, including 33 children (via Al Jazeera).

Saturday Night Live decided to skip their normal funny cold open for an emotional performance.

Saturday Night Live opened without a skit. Instead, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfolding, the show featured the Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York.

Emiliano Granada Eliza Rycembel, star of Oscar-nominated “Corpus Christi,” and Panos Mouzourakis, whose credits include “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,” have joined the cast of “Nasdrovia,” Season 2, which bows Feb. 25 on Movistar Plus, produced with The Mediapro Studio’s Globomedia – a powerful partnership of two of Spain’s biggest content creators.Variety has had exclusive access to a behind-the-scenes trailer where Rycembel and Mouzourakis talk about their characters, both contract killers: George, played by a tongue-in-cheek Rycembel and Mouzourakis’s Ringo, a charmingly ridiculous ‘70s throwback who, as he comments in the video, wants to take George under his wing, but still show her “who’s the man in the house.” Season 2 continues the downward spiral of Edurne (Leonor Watling) and Julian (Hugo Silva).

Hundreds of young Ukrainians turned out for a vigil in Manchester's St Peter's Square in the wake of the Russian invasion of their homeland.

Ukraine has lost control of Chernobyl after it was seized by Russian troops, a presidential adviser has said.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentHulu has acquired U.S. rights to “Fireheart,” Anton’s ambitious animated family feature directed by Laurent Zeitoun (“Leap!”) and Theodore Ty (“Kung Fu Panda”) with a voice cast headlined by Olivia Cooke, William Shatner, Laurie Holden and Kenneth Branagh.The deal was negotiated with Hulu by CAA Media Finance and Anton’s Cécile Gaget on behalf of the producers. “Fireheart” will debut on Hulu’s streaming platform in the U.S.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentIn the wake of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Danish producer Monica Hellström (“Flee”) and Sundance-winning helmer Simon Lereng Wilmont have joined forces to orchestrate the evacuation of some of the subjects portrayed in their Oscar-shortlisted documentary “The Distant Barking of Dogs.”Hellström told Variety that she and Lereng Wilmont quickly enlisted the help of their assistant director and local production coordinator to evacuate Oleg Afanasyev and his grandmother Alexandra, the protagonists of “The Distant Barking of Dogs,” from their war-torn village of Hnutove in Donetsk. The news was first reported by the website Nordic Film and TV News.Meanwhile, the children at the shelter that was the focus of “A House Made of Splinters,” which just earned Lereng Wilmont a best director award at Sundance last month, have also been evacuated to a safer area after facing a bombing threat.

Donald Trump.The committee reportedly hopes to have a final report in the fall.Government reports are not copyrighted and are generally available for free, though the 9-11 Commission's study of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election have been the basis for best-selling books.For the Jan.

EXCLUSIVE: Showtime is expanding its cast for The Chi, with the addition of Nia Jervier (Dear White People) and Carolyn Michelle Smith (House of Cards) who will take on recurring roles for the series’ upcoming fifth season.

Christopher Vourlias Alexander Rodnyansky’s AR Content is developing a slate of new series as the two-time Oscar-nominated producer continues his push into high-end episodic content.Rodnyansky revealed details of two new projects to Variety during the Berlinale Series Market, just days after Fox Entertainment acquired U.S. rights to AR Content’s upcoming epic action show “Khan: The Series,” as Variety previously reported.“The Doghead” is a series loosely based on the book of the same name by best-selling author Alexey Ivanov, whose previous works adapted for the big screen include Cannes Un Certain Regard prize winner “Tsar.”The series follows Kirill, a homebody historian who prefers stability to change or adventure, but who travels to a remote village to look for his lost girlfriend. Her disappearance is just the first in a chain of mysterious events that started in the 17th century around an enigmatic fresco of an ancient spirit known as the Doghead.

EXCLUSIVE: Here’s your first look at Oscar winner Penelope Cruz in Italian drama L’immensita, which is in post-production.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentTrustNordisk has closed a flurry of sales on a pair of 3D-animated family features, “Little Allan — The Human Antenna” and “The Super,” underscoring the market appeal of independent youth-skewing movies.“Little Allan – The Human Antenna” marks Danish film Amalie Naesby Fick’s follow up to her commercially successful debut “The Incredible Story of The Giant Pear,” which premiered in the the Generation Kplus section at Berlin in 2018. This year, the helmer has her daring drama series “Sex” selected for the Berlinale Series.The film takes place during summer vacation, when introverted, 11-year old Allan starts acting as a human antenna for his old neighbor, who thinks a huge invasion fleet from the outer space is on its way.

Christopher Vourlias Germany’s Sola Media has closed a wave of international sales for the animated feature “Finnick,” produced by Riki Group, which will be released by Sony Pictures Russia in Russia and CIS on March 24.The CGI-animated comedy follows the adventures of 13-year-old Christine, who befriends the young prankster Finnick – one of the furry and usually invisible beings known as Finns. The odd couple has to team up as detectives to solve the mysterious events happening in their city.The Stuttgart-based sales agency has inked deals with Eagle Pictures (Italy), Independent Films (Benelux), Koch Films (German/Austria/Switzerland), Vertigo Releasing (U.K.), Tanweer (Greece), Selmer Media (Scandinavia), Myndform (Iceland), Rialto (Australia and New Zealand), and Black Sheep Films (South Africa), and holds exclusive distribution rights in multiple additional territories.

Christopher Vourlias Russian VOD platform KION has unveiled a slate of original content it will be presenting to buyers at the European Film Market.Launched less than one year ago by telecom giant MTS, the company has so far surpassed expectations, according to Igor Mishin, VP for media business development at MTS and CEO of MTS Media. “We have exceeded all business key performance indicators, in terms of the subscriber base and streaming views,” he said.The company is launching two new feature films and two original series at EFM.“Ophiuchus” is an erotic thriller about a bold and sexually liberated pathologist whose lovers begin to die under mysterious circumstances.

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.

Russian Doll” returns this spring, and Netflix has released some first looks photos for the upcoming season.Season 2 will be set four years after Nadia (Natasha Lyonne) and Alan (Charlie Barnett) escaped mortality’s time loop. New episodes will follow the pair as they pass through an unexpected time portal located in Manhattan — causing both to face their pasts.The show’s first season also starred Greta Lee, Yul Vazquez and Elizabeth Ashley.

Christopher Vourlias “Gotham” star Ben McKenzie and “Instinct” actress Bojana Novakovic are attached to star in the new J-horror film “Bloat,” Variety can reveal.Produced by Bazelevs, the production banner of Screenlife pioneer Timur Bekmambetov (“Unfriended,” “Searching,” “Profile”), “Bloat” is a co-production with Russian streaming platform Okko, French production and sales house Pulsar Content (“The Deep House”), and Japanese production company flag Co., Ltd.Filming has already started in New York and will continue in Japan. Pic marks the first time Okko has co-financed an international production.