Disney+ Unveils First Slate of European Originals

EXCLUSIVE: LA-based sales firm Film Bridge International has sold shark survival pic The Requin to Reset Collective (Australia/New Zealand), YouPlanet (Spain), Mediawan (France), Monolith (Poland), Purple Plan (SE Asia), Blitz Film Group (Ex-Yugo), and Blue Lantern (Vietnam).

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorForesight Unlimited has closed deals for key international territories on Gigi Gaston’s “Nine Bullets.” The adventure thriller, written by Gaston, stars Lena Headey (“Game of Thrones”), Sam Worthington (“Avatar” franchise), Barbara Hershey (the “Insidious” films) and Dean Scott Vasquez (“Jack Ryan”).Major territories sold include Australia (Rialto), Benelux (Splendid), the CIS (Top Film), Eastern Europe (Daro), France (Daro), Germany (Splendid),

Late Wednesday night there was a sliver of good news for the German film industry —and for anyone trying to sell films into Germany at this week's virtual European Film Market: Germany plans to re-open cinemas. Sort of.

Lady Gaga is stepping out in style.

Helena Deland and Ouri are now Hildegard. Named after German Benedictine abbess and composer Hildegard of Bingen, the Montreal experimentalists describe the project as "a testament to the intense and often mystical collaborative process; to losing yourself in one another only to emerge as something new." First up to bat is "Jour 2," a hypnotic composition that ebbs in and out of darkness, mining strength in synchronicity.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent“Natural Light,” a portrait of the attrition and atrocity of war set at a benighted village in occupied Western Soviet Union in 1943, has clinched its first sales as Paris-based Luxbox rolls out the Berlin Competition player at the European Film Market.Nour Films, whose past pickups include Berlin Golden Bear winner “Touch Me Not,” has closed rights to France.Nour will open “Natural Light” “with great conviction and pleasure” on at least 60 prints

Netflix has partnered with Hachette’s Les Editions Albert René and playwright Alain Chabat to create the first-ever animated limited series based on the iconic French comic book character Asterix.

EXCLUSIVE: Here’s the first trailer for UK drama A Bird Flew In (previously known as Alone), the Goldfinch-backed drama shot during lockdown.

Many were shocked when Lady Gaga’s dog walker was shot and two of her French bulldogs stolen just last week, leaving the singer devastated and desperate to have them back.

Chloe Zhao has made history at the Golden Globes by becoming the first Asian woman to be named best director. The US-based 38-year-old, who was born in China, is also only the second woman to win the award.

Chloé Zhao has made history as the second woman ever to win the best director award at the Golden Globes, and the first Asian woman to do so. Zhao won for her work on Nomadland, which follows Fern (Frances McDormand) as she embarks on a new life as a van-dwelling nomad, traveling the American West.

First-time nominee Andra Day won the Golden Globe award tonight for her first major acting role as legendary blues artist and civil rights icon Billie Holiday in The United States vs. Billie Holiday.

Lady Gaga has made a dramatic public plea following the terrifying dognapping of her precious French bulldogs Koji and Gustav. Her dog walker Ryan Fischer was taking the pups — along with her third Frenchie Miss Asia — out for a walk in Hollywood on the night of Feb. 24 when two men rolled up in a white Nissan, tried to steal the dogs and shot Ryan in the chest when he tried to protect the animals. Fortunately he survived his wounds, but the suspects made off with two of the dogs.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentMK2 Films has scored a raft of strong pre-sales on “The Worst Person In The World,” the anticipated third film in Joachim Trier’s “Oslo” trilogy, following “Reprise” and “Oslo, August 31st.” The company has also unveiled a first look still of the film ahead of the virtual EFM, where it will present a promo-reel to buyers.The Paris-based banner, whose sales team is spearheaded by Fionnuala Jamison, has already sold the film to France (Memento), Benelux

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentTrustNordisk has closed further sales on Christoffer Boe‘s “A Taste of Hunger” and has unveiled the international poster for the anticipated film.“A Taste of Hunger,” which is headlined by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (“Game of Thrones”) and Kathrine Greis-Rosenthal (“A Fortunate Man”), has sold to France (Kinovista) and Poland (Hagi Film).The film has Coster-Waldau and Greis-Rosenthal as a power couple on the Danish gourmet scene who run the popular restaurant

Naman Ramachandran Director Christian Schwochow and writer Thomas Wendrich’s “Je Suis Karl,” due to premiere at the Berlin Film Festival’s Berlinale Special strand in June, is a chillingly timely film.On Aug. 29, 2020, dozens of assailants from the far right attacked the Reichstag building, the home of German parliament in Berlin, the burning of which in 1933 heralded the rise of Hitler’s Nazi rule.

The Berlin International Film Festival has unveiled the juries for its 2021 festival sidebars, the films screening outside the main competition at the 71st Berlinale. German actress Jella Haase (Berlin Alexanderplatz), Dutch director Mees Peijnenburg (Paradise Drifters), and German writer-director Melanie Waelde (Naked Animals) will judge the movies running in this year's Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus sections focused on children and youth films.

Naman Ramachandran Disney has announced a slate of 10 European projects commissioned for streamer Disney Plus and upcoming general entertainment brand Star.French commissions include four-part Star original miniseries “Oussekine,” about the true events in 1986 that led to the death of a young student, created and directed by Antoine Chevrollier (“Baron Noir”) and co-written by Faïza Guène, Julien Lilti and Cédric Ido; and Star original documentary series “Soprano: Sing or Die,” which charts