Denis O’Dell, Producer of Beatles Film ‘A Hard Day’s Night,’ Dies at 98

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentCarlos Gardel,  the most famous figure in tango history, is set to become the subject of a bio-series made by Kapow,  the Argentine producer of HBO Max/Amazon hit “La Jauría,” and Luis Ortega, director of episodes of Netflix’s “El Marginal” as well as smash hit true crime feature “El Angel.”Currently being written by Ortega, with partner Rodolfo Palacios at their prodco El Despacho, which will co-produce the series, the series should be ready for presentation by around the end of May, Ortega told Variety.Designed as an “auteur, premium and original” production and part of Kapow’s fiction department output, the bio has to be high-end, said Kapow founder Agustín Sacanell. “This has to be a big production to be done well.

EXCLUSIVE: Amid its continuing drive to ramp up local feature productions, Netflix has a host of ambitious titles coming out of Europe in the next year. Already, Paolo Sorrentino’s Oscar-shortlisted The Hand Of God launched on the service in late 2021, hitting the Top 10 in 11 countries, while ahead are films from such directors as Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Louis Leterrier, Romain Gavras, Edward Berger, Roar Uthaug and Oscar winner Sébastian Lelio, among others. Currently in production for later down the pike are J.A. Bayona’s Society Of The Snow and the Spanish feature spinoff of Netflix hit series Bird Box.

Mexico’s Oscar-shortlisted Prayers For the Stolen directed by Tatiana Huezo won the FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Feature Film at the Palm Springs Film Festival, which revealed its juried winners Wednesday despite being forced to cancel its 2022 edition.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorJan Mojto’s international sales company Beta Film has sold police series “Faster Than Fear,” a hit for ARD in Germany, to three high-profile international buyers. The six-hour series has been acquired by ORF in Austria, Disney Plus in Spain, and Walter Presents in Australia and New Zealand. In Germany, the show was commissioned by ARD under its initiative termed “Mediathek First” for shows that launch first on its streaming platform, the ARD Mediathek.

EXCLUSIVE: La Coctelera, the multilingual podcast studio, has signed with ICM.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorSpotify is boosting its audio lineup for kids and families, including a new story-time show under an exclusive multiyear agreement with CoComelon, the YouTube children’s content powerhouse.The new “CoComelon Story Time” podcast — CoComelon’s first spoken-word original programming — will premiere Jan. 24 exclusively on Spotify.

The program announcements continue for the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival this week, with the full Panorama line-up now confirmed.

Not mincing words. Howard Stern had a strong message for tennis star Novak Djokovic after the drama surrounding his coronavirus vaccination status.

French film exports generated 91.4M euros ($103.6M) in 2021, a 5.5% increase on the previous year’s provisional figures, while admissions were up 8% to 14.8M. Comparatively, French films within France sold 39.2M tickets during the year. The figures were announced during the annual Unifrance Rendez-Vous with French Cinema which is taking place in Paris this week — one of the rare international gatherings in the current landscape that’s being held as a physical event.

Cate Blanchett (Nightmare Alley, Don’t Look Up) will produce and star in A Manual for Cleaning Women, the first English-language feature from Oscar-winning Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar (Parallel Mothers, Pain and Glory), Deadline has confirmed.

After three years with the Toronto Film Festival, Diana Sanchez has exited her role as Senior Director, Film.

EXCLUSIVE: Sony Pictures Entertainment has signed an overall deal with the writing and producing team of Eduardo Cisneros and Jason Shuman under their new production arm, RaqMar Entertainment.

Denis O’Dell, the British film producer whose association with The Beatles earned him the rare honor of being mentioned, if obliquely, in one of the group’s songs, died of natural causes at his home in Spain last night. He was 98.

his tragic death at 52 last week. His former paramour, Geraldine Larrosa, dropped the heartbreaking bombshell while arriving at the Spanish baritone’s private wake in Madrid on Monday, the Daily Mail reported.“Before being intubated he said goodbye to me because he knew he wasn’t going to pull through and it was the saddest image in my life,” recalled a tearful Larrosa, 44.Known by her stage name Innocence, Larrosa has reportedly remained very close to Marin despite their 2009 divorce.

Pep Guardiola says Ferran Torres’move to Barcelona is “close” after the two clubs agreed a deal worth around £55million.

Reports in Spain suggest a deal has been agreed for Barcelona to sign Manchester City winger Ferran Torres, with the La Liga club offering a new update on their transfer interest.