Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia for months after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage, and it is unclear when she will be able to return to the United States.The Phoenix Mercury player is currently in the middle of a trial in Moscow and faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison if found guilty. Brittney has an uphill battle to have her criminal case acquitted in a trial that experts say is unlikely to be fair and that Russian authorities are using her as a diplomatic bargaining chip amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.The Olympic gold medalist has played in Russia for the last seven winters, earning more than $1 million per season -- more than quadruple her WNBA salary, according to the Associated Press.
Czech Production Sector on ‘Edge of Precipice’ Following Suspension of Incentives
04.07.2022 - 00:43 / variety.com
Will Tizard ContributorThe market for international shoots in the Czech Republic is “on the edge of a precipice,” says Vratislav Slajer, the head of the country’s main industry group, the Assn. of Audiovisual Producers.Speaking to industry colleagues on Sunday at the Karlovy Vary Intl.
Film Festival, Czech producers warned that they are witnessing the impending loss of more than a decade of progress in bringing in foreign shoots – and the prospect of witnessing billions going to other countries.The Czech government suspended film production incentives this year, citing a spending crisis brought on by the need to rescue businesses hit by COVID losses and to accommodate over 300,000 war refugees from Ukraine. But, says, Slajer, “It’s a false argument.”Booming film productions would offer lots of jobs to Ukrainians, for one thing, he posits.
“We can help solve the crisis – we can bring in more money.”What the government has lost sight of, he adds, is how incentives bring in rich returns: “This is an investment. It’s not like grant money or a donation.
If you put in more, you get back more.”Czech Film Commission director Pavlina Zipkova has echoed the sentiment, urging a boost to the sweeteners system.“Production incentives are essential part of the eco filming system, without which we lose competitiveness within Central Europe,” she says. “It’s as easy as that.
Beata Parkanová in Production With Czech-Slovak Film ‘Tiny Lights’
Alexander Gabelia Czech director-writer Beata Parkanová is in production with Czech-Slovak feature “Tiny Lights,” about a summer’s day in the life of six-year-old Amálka that captures a moment of transformation and loss, but also brings hope that she can turn this loss into the ability to observe and tell stories, Film New Europe reports.“Tiny Lights” is set in the early 1990s in a small town in Czechoslovakia. Although the film features a main character who is a child, it is not a children’s film.
‘Justified’ Revival Production Shut Down After Gun Battle Crashes Through Set Barricades
Joe Otterson TV ReporterProduction on the FX revival of “Justified” was halted after two cars engaged in a rolling gun fight broke through barricades on the set.Variety has confirmed that on Wednesday night the two cars broke through the barricades while the show, titled “Justified: City Primeval,” was filming in Chicago near Douglass Park. No one in the cast or crew was injured in the incident.
‘Justified: City Primeval’ Production Halted After Outsiders Engaged In Gun Battle Drive Through Barricades In Chicago
EXCLUSIVE: Production on FX’s Justified: City Primeval has been halted in Chicago after two cars whose occupants were engaged in a gunfight smashed through the show’s barricades.
‘Love Is Blind’ Production Company Fires Back at Jeremy Hartwell Lawsuit: His Journey ‘Lasted Less Than 1 Week’
Love Is Blind’s production company, Kinetic Content, has responded to former contestant Jeremy Hartwell’s lawsuit — claiming there is no truth to his allegations.
Eurovision 2022 winners Kalush Orchestra announce North American tour
Kalush Orchestra have announced a North American headline tour for later in the year.There’s a total of 13 dates on the itinerary, with the run set to kick off at Seattle’s Club SUR on Thursday, October 20. The Ukrainian act chase it up with back-to-back shows in San Francisco, Denver and LA before rolling on to Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia and New York.The US dates will wrap up over the first week of November, with shows locked in for Washington DC, Miami and Chicago before the tour ends in Canada with Montreal and Toronto gigs.Tickets for all of the dates – a full list of which can be found below – are on sale now via Bomond.
Graham Foy’s ‘The Maiden’, Sonja Orlewicz-Zakrzewska’s ‘Dolphin’ Among Karlovy Vary Project Prizewinners
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival’s Eastern Promises industry strand has unveiled the winners of the five project showcases taking place within its auspices from July 3-5.
Russian Hackers Targeted Czech Film Commission Website After It Published Article Promoting Czech Republic As A “Safe Place To Shoot” — KVIFF
The Czech Film Commission, the body that promotes the Czech Republic to the international world, had its website hacked last week by Russian hackers. Speaking at a roundtable discussion hosted by the Odesa Film Festival at Karlovy Vary’s Industry Days section, Czech Film Commission head Pavlina Zipkova told delegates that its website was recently targeted by Russian hackers after it posted an article on its website highlighting the Czech Republic as being a safe place to shoot.
Karlovy Vary Film Festival Opens With Pop and Politics
bombastico.But then, this was, in every sense, a big night. Once the film let out, the thousand-strong crowd gathered outside Karlovy Vary’s main site for a free show that featured Czech band MIG 21, a 60-piece orchestra, 20 choir singers and two rather saucy dancers, and that concluded – as only such a statement could – with a fireworks display.
International Insider: Karlovy Vary Kicks Off; Broccoli On Bond; BritBox; French Fee Strikes
Good afternoon Insider squad. Max Goldbart here back from Glastonbury with all the news, analysis and sunburn you need as we look back on the final week of June. Read on.
BBC ‘Maryland’ Adaptation Sets Leads; EBU Presidency; Rockerdale Studios Hire; C4 Explores Bowels — Global Briefs
Zawe Ashton, Hayley Squires And Daniel Mays Land Leads In BBC Adaptation Of ‘Maryland’
European Broadcasting Union Re-Elects President Delphine Ernotte-Cunci, Adds Ukraine’s Mykola Chernotytskyi to Board
K.J. Yossman European Broadcasting Union (EBU) president Delphine Ernotte-Cunci (pictured above, far left) has been re-elected for a second two-year term.Vice-president Petr Dvořák has also been re-elected.
Jerusalem Film Festival Unveils Israeli Competition As It Gears Up For First Full Edition Since 2019
The Jerusalem Film Festival has unveiled the line-up for its Israeli feature film competition as well as all the other local productions selected to screen in its 39th edition, running 21-31.
Festival In Focus: How The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Continues To Be An “Edgy” & Culturally Significant Film Destination
As the 56th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) is about to kick off on Friday, there will be plenty to discuss at this year’s event in the picturesque Czech spa town. The prominent Central European festival, which is returning to its usual early July slot after last year’s edition was delayed to August because of the pandemic, will see 33 films from five continents screen across its three sections – the Crystal Globe Competition, the Special Screenings section and its new competition, Proxima, which replaces the former East of the West section.
Karlovy Vary Defends Decision To Invite Russian Film To 2022 Edition
The Czech Republic’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has defended its decision to invite a Russian film to its 56th edition, in spite of promises that it would not welcome Russia state-backed films due to the war in Ukraine.
Karlovy Vary Called Out By Ukrainian Filmmakers Over Russian Boycott About-Face (EXCLUSIVE)
Christopher Vourlias Several leading Ukrainian filmmakers have called out the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for including a Russian film in its 56th edition, which kicks off on Friday, insisting that it’s reneged on a promise not to welcome any movies with ties to the Russian government.In a letter addressed to artistic director Karel Och and festival leadership that was shared with Variety, the filmmakers behind Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk’s “Pamfir,” Maksym Nakonechnyi’s “Butterfly Vision” and Valentyn Vasyanovych’s “Reflection,” criticized the long-running Czech festival for including “Captain Volkonogov Escaped,” by directors Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov, in its Horizons sidebar.