‘Champions’: Woody Harrelson, Kaitlin Olson, Cheech Marin & Matt Cook To Topline Bobby Farrelly’s Special Olympics Pic For Focus Features And Gold Circle Entertainment

Sony will release it’s first movie of 2022, and second Tom Holland title after Spider-Man: No Way Home over the 4-day Presidents Day weekend, Uncharted, in what is expected to be a $70M+ haul worldwide.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentLoco Films, the Paris-based world sales and production company, has unveiled the trailer for Yulia Trofimova’s feature debut “The Land of Sasha” which is premiering today at the Berlinale, in the Generation 14plus strand.“The Land of Sahsa” tells the story of an indecisive 18-year-old struggling to pursue his desire to become a painter as his mother urges him to choose a safer career path. The sudden appearance of the boy’s estranged father complicates things further. But when Sasha has an unexpected encounter with an unusual girl called Zhenia, he realizes he has no choice but to finally grow up.“The Land of Sasha” was produced by Katerina Mikhaylova and Konstantin Fam for Moscow-based Vega Film.

The Good Boss, Fernando León de Aranoa’s comedy-drama starring Javier Bardem, dominated Spain’s top film prizes this year, The Goyas, collecting six awards including Best Picture.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Netflix has recently released Spain’s first film using LED volume technology, teen romantic drama “Through My Window” (“A Través de mi Ventana”).Produced by Adrian Guerra’s Nostromo Pictures alongside sister company Orca Studios, the Spanish-language film features real-time rendered CG scenes shot in-camera as part of its production.Its LED volume technology is the same ground-breaking virtual production process utilized by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) on Disney Plus’ hit series “The Mandalorian” and is considered by many as the most significant technological advance since green screen.LED wall volumes replace static backgrounds in virtual studios with exterior or interior images that adjust in sync with camera movement, powered by video game PC engines, such as Unreal for “The Mandalorian.” “We selected three scenes — the heliport, the penthouse interior and the elevator — as they had different challenges and needs,” said Guerra, adding: “We also shot some car sequences directly in the LED volume, with driving plates from Barcelona projected on the LED screens and backgrounds in different sets.”Based on the YA novel by Ariana Godoy, a bestseller on online social reading platform Wattpad, “Through My Window” follows high schooler Raquel who has a been harboring a crush on her gorgeous neighbor, Ares, whom she spies on from her window. He’s also the scion of a wealthy family, so she feels he’s way out of her league.

Donavan Carrillo is making history. On Tuesday, the 22-year-old from Guadalajara, Jalisco, became the first Mexican in 3 decades to advance and qualify for the Olympic finals. The last athlete was Riccardo Olavarrieta, who dropped out after the short program in 1992.Donovan will continue his journey in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic finals Thursday in the longer free skate competition.

Emiliano De Pablos Media giant Mediaset has acquired Italian distribution rights to Spanish writer-director Benito Zambrano’s drama “Lemon and Poppy Seed Cake,” produced and sold by Barcelona-based studio Filmax.News of the deal comes just before Filmax screens “Lemon and Poppy Seed Cake” to buyers at this year’s online European Film Market.Described as high-quality cinema for adults and predominantly female audiences, “Lemon and Poppy Seed Cake” adapts the novel of the same title by screenwriter and casting specialist Cristina Campos. It has sold more than 250,000 copies worldwide.A member of  Spain’s generation of directors that broke out in the 1990s,  helping Spanish movies find far larger favor with audiences at home, Zambrano’s breakout debut, 1999’s “Alone,” won the Panorama Audience Award at Berlin.

Congratulations are in order for Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim!

EXCLUSIVE: Bernd Schlotterer’s German outfit Palatin Media is launching world sales on Richard Armitage thriller The Man From Rome. Moonstone Entertainment’s Etchie Stroh is serving as a sales consultant.

Emiliano De Pablos International distribution house Pink Parrot Media has taken worldwide sales rights outside Spain and Portugal to 3D/2D animated musical film “Valentina,” the feature debut of Spanish producer-turned director Chelo Loureiro of Galicia’s Ábano Producións.Based out of Montreal and Madrid, Pink Parrot will introduce the toon feature to international buyers at Berlin’s European Film Market “Valentina” had its theatrical premiere in December on 160 screens in Spain, handled by Super8.Written, directed and produced by Loureiro and co-written by Lúa Testa, “Valentina” tells the story of a girl who dreams of becoming a trapeze artist but struggles to believe it is possible because she has Down’s syndrome.

Emmy and Golden Globe winner Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl) has been set to lead pandemic-themed thriller Rich Flu, we can reveal. Producers include Pablo Larraín and Juan de Dios Larraín’s Fabula banner which produced Spencer, Jackie and No.

EXCLUSIVE: Ernie Hudson (Grace and Frankie, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) is the final addition to the cast of Champions, the recently-wrapped Special Olympics film that Bobby Farrelly (Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary) directed for Focus Features and Gold Circle Entertainment.

“Rifkin’s Festival” is bombing at the box office.The comedy flick starring Gina Gershon and Wallace Shawn has the lowest opening of the 86-year-old filmmaker’s long career, which tanked after he was accused of molesting his his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow.“Rifkin’s Festival” is Allen’s 49th film to date and only made $24,000 on Friday and Saturday from 26 theaters, according to the Wrap. Landmark Theaters owns many of the cinemas that the movie is being screened at.

Focus Features and Gold Circle have partnered on Bobby Farrelly’s (“Dumb and Dumber,” “There’s Something About Mary”) next feature “Champions,” both companies announced on Monday.“Champions” is centered around a stubborn and hotheaded minor league basketball coach who is sentenced to community service and forced to coach a Special Olympics team. The film is based on the Goya Award winning Spanish film “Campeones” from 2018, which was released by Universal Pictures International.The film stars Woody Harrelson, Kaitlin Olson, Cheech Marin and Matt Cook.

Mexico-based Grupo Televisa and Univision have closed their $4.8 billion merger, uniting their vast Spanish-language media and production holdings in the U.S. and Mexico.

Most of the theaters screening the film are owned by Landmark Theaters, whose flagship Los Angeles location posted the highest single theater total for the film with $2,300. Other theaters outside of Landmark’s circuit screening the film include the Quad Theatre in New York City, where the film grossed $1,600 over two days.By comparison, Allen’s previous film “Wonder Wheel” earned approximately $125,000 from five screens on its 3-day opening weekend in 2017, when the rise of the #MeToo movement brought long-standing allegations by actress Dylan Farrow against Allen — her adoptive father — returned to the public eye.

Stella Banderas is ready for fashion week and ready to make some power moves. The daughter of Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith attended the Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2022 show as part of Paris Fashion Week and looked chic and professional in a red Dior blazer with a matching mini skirt.