Dark Star Pictures Buys LGBTQ Comedy ‘Big Boys’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Strand Releasing has acquired North American rights from sales company Films Boutique to tender coming-of-age drama “Young Hearts” by Belgian newcomer Anthony Schatteman, which recently launched from the Berlin Film Festival. Schatteman’s standout debut follows a 13-year-old boy named Elias, who feels attracted to his new neighbor, Alexander, and must overcome his conflicted feelings about being attracted to another boy.

Addie Morfoot Contributor Abramorama has acquired North American theatrical rights to Vanessa Hope‘s feature-length documentary “Invisible Nation.” The 85-minute doc investigates the election and tenure of Tsai Ing-wen, the first female president of Taiwan. The docu follows Tsai as she seeks full international recognition of Taiwan’s right to exist.

EXCLUSIVE: London-based Dogwoof has locked a series of international deals on Eternal You, a documentary about AI startups set to screen at this month’s Hot Docs Fest following a debut bow at Sundance.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Miami-based MGE Media has scooped up international distribution rights to Katherina Harder’s feature debut, “La Pérgola de las Flores,” produced by Parox, the Chilean producer of mini-series “Allende, The Thousand Days” (“Los mil días de Allende”), which is nominated for three Premios Platino. The prestigious Ibero-American awards event takes place April 20 in Cancun, Mexico where “Allende…” has been nominated for best series, best actor for Alfredo Castro, who plays the doomed socialist president Salvador Allende, and best actress for Aline Kuppenheim.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor CAA has signed Sarah Lugor, the multihyphenate content creator, model, host, fashion influencer and musician who posts on TikTok under the handle “@shreksdumpster,” for representation. Lugor, 23, is known for her comedic videos and fashion sense. She has built a following of more than 3 million followers across platforms — including 2.5 million on TikTok — helping her gain recognition as an LGBTQ TikTok trailblazer and landing her features in Vogue and the Huffington Post.

Annika Pham New York-based director/producer Katy Scoggin has worked with high-profile U.S. documentary filmmaker/journalist Laura Poitras on two shorts and three features, notably as co-producer and DP on Poitras’ Oscar-winner “Citizenfour” and Cannes Directors’ Fortnight’s “Risk.” Poitras now serves as executive producer on Scoggin’s feature debut “Flood,” one of six creative documentaries to be pitched as works in progress April 16, at the Visions du Réel festival in Nyon, Switzerland. “Flood” centers on Scoggin’s journey to repair her relationship with her former missionary father, with whom she has become estranged.

Katcy Stephan Tom Arnold (“True Lies,” “Roseanne”) has joined the cast of writer, producer, and director Rohit Karn Batra’s drama “The Gun on Second Street.” The film, for which Storyboard Media launched international sales during last year’s Cannes Film Market, is produced by Guy J. Louthan of Ransom Films (“The Call, The Road Within,” “There Be Dragons,”“From Scratch”) with Rikin Shah serving as one of the executive producers.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Strand Releasing has acquired the North American rights to Ray Yeung’s “All Shall Be Well,” which world premiered at this year’s Berlinale and won the Teddy Prize for best film. The movie played last week as the opening film at the Hong Kong Film Festival. “All Shall Be Well” chronicles the lives of two women, Angie and Pat, a couple living in Hong Kong who have been together for over four decades.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Cartilage Films has acquired worldwide rights to “Summer Solstice,” a new comedy that marks the feature debut of its writer and director Noah Schamus. The movie boasts an ensemble cast led by breakout performances from Bobbi Salvör Menuez (“Under the Silver Lake”) and Marianne Rendón (“Charlie Says”). The producers are billing Schamus’s film as a modern twist on the buddy comedy, with this one told from a queer and trans perspective.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Prime Video has announced the full cast for action comedy show “Costiera” set on Italy’s iconic Amalfi Coast being directed by Emmy-winner Adam Bernstein (“30 Rock,” “Breaking Bad”) and featuring Jesse Williams (“Take Me Out”) as the lead. The ensemble cast for the English-language series being co-produced by Amazon Studios and Luca Bernabei for Lux Vide comprises British actor Jordan Alexandra (“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” “The Winter King”) (pictured, center); Spain’s Alejandra Onieva (“Alta Mar”) (pictured, left); Italy’s Maria Chiara Giannetta (“Blanca”) (pictured, right); Antonio Gerardi; Tommaso Ragno (“Nostalgia”); Amanda Campana; Pierpaolo Spollon; Britain’s Sam Haygarth (“Jojo Rabbit”); and France’s Jean-Hugues Anglade (“Sink or Swim”).

EXCLUSIVE: Sony’s 3000 Pictures has pre-emptively acquired film rights to Clare Leslie Hall‘s suspenseful romance novel Broken Country, with Hello Sunshine is producing. The project sees 3000 Pictures and Candle Media’s Hello Sunshine reunite after the success of the film adaptation of publishing phenomenon and Reese’s Book Club Pick Where the Crawdads Sing, which earned $144.4 million globally.

Katcy Stephan Two-time Oscar winner Renée Zellweger is set to return to one of her most beloved roles in Universal Pictures’ and Working Title’s “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” an adaptation of Helen Fielding’s best-selling novel. Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson are confirmed to return alongside franchise newcomers Chiwetel Ejiofor and Leo Woodall. The film will be directed by Michael Morris (“To Leslie,” “Better Call Saul”).

Annika Pham Norwegian leading indie prodco Seefood TV, credited for the Canneseries and Rockie Awards entry “Dumbsday”, is attending the Cannes’ TV festival and content market MipTV, with the quirky romantic comedy “Still Looking” (“Evig Singel”). Prolific star actor Trond Fausa Aursvåg (“Oppenheimer” “Lilyhammer”, “Christmas on Blood Mountain”) toplines the Norwegian ensemble cast, next to Kristine Grændsen (“Dumbsday”, “Basic Bitch”), Kevin Vågenes (“What Happened to Solveig?”), Tuva Billing (“Lunch”), Lene Kongsvik Johansen (“Christmas on Cobble Street”) and Amir Asgharnejad (“Christmas on Blood Mountain”). The six-part 22 minute episode “Still Looking” is penned by Andreas Rand (“Dumbsday”), Oddne Lekang Hølaas and Mike Torsvik Johansen (“Superhero Academy”).

Naman Ramachandran British talents, writer-director Neil Biswas and actor-writer-director Manjinder Virk, have launched multi-platform, independent production company Riverbird Films. Virk’s breakthrough role as an actor was Peter Kosminsky’s BAFTA-winning Channel 4 drama “Britz,” alongside Riz Ahmed.

Katcy Stephan Outplay Films‘ “Turtles,” directed by David Lambert, has landed U.S. distribution with Dark Star Pictures. The film, which stars Dave Johns, Olivier Gourmet and Brigitte Poupart, follows a long-married couple who are headed for divorce.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor U.S.-based global distributor PBS Intl. is bringing a squad of sports-themed documentaries to MipTV to tie in with the Olympic Games that’ll run this summer in Paris. “Olympic Dreams” travels to Sierra Leone, one of the world’s poorest nations, as it struggles to recover from its 11-year civil war.

EXCLUSIVE: Following her work with Netflix on its popular family films Family Leave and Yes Day, as well as The Adam Project, the sci-fi pic with Ryan Reynolds marking one of its biggest to date in terms of viewership, Jennifer Garner is back in business with the streamer after signing on to star in its holiday comedy, Mrs. Claus, sources tell Deadline.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Air Supply may be the latest chart-topping musical act to get the big screen treatment. Altit Media Group said it plans to make biopic about the band that will, in a nod to one of the group’s biggest hits, be entitled, “All Out of Love: The Air Supply Story.” The film will be released in summer 2025 to celebrate Air Supply’s 50th anniversary. Filming is set to take place in Australia and the U.K.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italy’s Cinecittà Studios, which have been undergoing a radical overhaul since 2021, recently released their fiscal 2023 results, which saw the Rome-based facilities turn a profit for the second year in a row after bleeding red ink for years. The iconic studios are being managed by Nicola Maccanico, a former Warner Bros.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Mario Van Peebles has been tapped to direct “That’ll Be the Day,” the story of how Buddy Holly and other musicians of the late 1950s helped give birth to rock ‘n’ roll and influence the wider societal and cultural landscape, including the civil rights movement. Music has been central to much of Van Peebles’ work, from his 1991 gangster movie “New Jack City” to his work on “Wu-Tang: An American Saga,” which he co-executive produced for Hulu.