Matt Rife is always making sure he doesn’t take life too seriously — but even he has regrets!
14.09.2023 - 17:45 / deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: eOne’s long-serving President of International Distribution, Stuart Baxter, is leaving ahead of the Yellowjackets and The Rookie studio ahead of its $500M sale to Lionsgate, we can reveal.
The former Warner Bros. and Sony exec will exit his post at the end of the week after more than nine years at the helm of eOne’s London-based international distribution operation. In the role, he oversaw international TV and film international sales efforts across pay-TV, free-TV, SVOD and AVOD windows.
Under Baxter’s leadership, eOne’s international sales unit became one of the largest UK-based operations, raking in hundreds of millions of dollars each year through sales of shows such as The Rookie and The Walking Dead and films including the Twilight franchise. Since becoming part of Hasbro in 2019, it has also sold library titles from the toy firm’s catalog.
We understand up to seven staff from Baxter’s team have recently exited eOne and more are likely to follow upon current eOne owner Hasbro’s closure of the Lionsgate sale.
Lionsgate’s international sales operation is headed up by Jim Packer, who signed a long-term contract with the Hunger Games studio to remain President of Worldwide Television Distribution during Mipcom Cannes last year.
Plans to bring eOne’s sales operation into the Lionsgate fold are already underway, we understand, which will have likely sped up Baxter’s exit. There’s no word on his next move at this stage.
His departure the latest from eOne’s senior team ahead of the deal closing at the end of the year. eOne President of Global Television Michael Lombardo and President of Film and TV Steve Bertram confirmed their departures soon after the agreement was announced, while film chief Nick Meyer left
Matt Rife is always making sure he doesn’t take life too seriously — but even he has regrets!
Warner Bros. Discovery France boss Pierre Branco has become the latest international exec to depart.
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Refresh for latest…: Here we are with a sort of hybrid weekend at the international box office: there were fresh entries from the Hollywood studios, as well as major new titles timed to holiday play in local markets, and a holdover that’s continuing to rack up records.
It’s Friday, aka Insider Day. Jesse Whittock back again to run you through the international film and TV stories dominating the headlines this week.
Kenya has selected Daudi Anguka’s drama Mvera to represent it for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.
Naman Ramachandran Billie Piper, “The Great British Bake Off” and “Derry Girl” have landed nominations at the 2023 International Emmy Awards. The nominations, which were unveiled on Tuesday by the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, are across 14 categories and span 20 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, Qatar, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the U.K.
While a fairly quiet frame overall, there were some significant milestones this international box office session. To wit: New Line/Warner Bros’ The Nun II topped the $200M mark worldwide and Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan became the highest-grossing Bollywood movie ever in India, overtaking the star’s earlier 2023 movie, Pathaan.
We’ve got the keys to the weekend, Insider fans. Jesse Whittock here guiding you through the international film and TV stories you need to read to top off the working week.
Naman Ramachandran Oliver Pearn’s feature directorial debut “On the Line” has been snapped up for U.K. and U.S. distribution by Trinity Creative Partnership and 101 Films.
The Taste of Things” over “Anatomy of a Fall,” Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winning film, to represent the country in the international feature film race. “The Taste of Things” (previously titled “The Pot-au-Feu”) won best director at Cannes for French-Vietnamese filmmaker Trần Anh Hùng. Starring Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel, the period movie was bought by IFC Films and Sapan Studios.
Jonathan Glazer’s Cannes-winning Holocaust drama The Zone Of Interest has been selected as the UK’s entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2024 Oscars.
Leo Barraclough International Features Editor European pay TV platform Sky has released the trailer for Sky Original film “Dance First,” ahead of its world premiere at San Sebastian Film Festival on Sept. 30. The film is directed by BAFTA and Academy Award winner James Marsh (“The Theory of Everything”) and written by BAFTA winner Neil Forsyth (“Guilt”).
Naman Ramachandran MetFilm Sales has picked up worldwide rights (excluding U.K.) and will handle international sales on acclaimed documentary “Name Me Lawand” from “Gangs of London” producer Pulse Films. Directed by Edward Lovelace (“The Possibilities Are Endless”), the documentary, filmed over four years, follows Lawand Hamad Amin, who spent his early years in Iraq unable to hear or communicate. His profound deafness meant he could not learn language, and with no access to a deaf education, Lawand grew isolated and trapped inside himself.
Refresh for latest…: Warner Bros/New Line’s The Nun II continued to conjure strong business around the globe this weekend, taking the top spot again worldwide and overseas. The sophomore session of $30.1M in 72 offshore markets brings the international box office cume to $102.3M and worldwide to $158.8M so far.
ruled that the government of Bulgaria violated European human rights law by failing to legally recognize same-sex marriages, reports Human Rights Watch.Liliya Babulkova and Darina Koilova, two Bulgarian women who were legally wed in the United Kingdom in 2016, brought the case to the court three years ago, after Bulgarian authorities refused, multiple times, to recognize their marriage.The couple claimed, in their complaint, that the refusal to recognize their marriage is discriminatory and violated their rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.The court found that the Bulgarian government violated Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to private and family life.The court — as it previously did with similar cases from Ukraine and Romania — ruled that Bulgaria must take some action to recognize same-sex relationships or remove discriminatory portions of its laws, although it did not require the country to take specific actions, such as legalize same-sex nuptials. It also ordered the government to pay 3,000 euros to the couple to cover legal costs.“The decision is fundamental for the development of Bulgarian legislation in the field of equality and LGBT rights,” a lawyer for the couple said in a statement.
Good afternoon Insiders, Max Goldbart here with your weekly dose of the biggest headlines, analysis and deep-dives of the week. Read on, and sign up here.
K.J. Yossman The president of the Writers Guild of Great Britain (WGGB), Sandi Toksvig, is set to call for changes to the way in which streamers remunerate writers. Toksvig will speak at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in Liverpool, U.K.
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