Federation Entertainment Boards Israeli Drama ‘The Lesson’ With Doron Ben-David, Maya Landsmann (EXCLUSIVE)

Mónica Marie Zorrilla Two months after the debut of musical rom-com “Marry Me,” starring Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson and Maluma, Bobby Crosby is getting another one of his Keenspot graphic novels adapted for the big screen. Israeli producer Uri Singer has secured the film and television rights to “Dreamless,” a Keenspot graphic novel by Crosby illustrated by Sarah Ellerton.“Dreamless,” which was first a Keenspot webcomic in 2009 before being collected into a graphic novel, has been read by more than four million people worldwide.

The 35th Israel Film Festival in Los Angeles will open next month with the L.A. premiere of Avi Nesher’s Image of Victory, which was nominated for a leading 15 Israeli Academy Ophir Awards last year. The film kicks off the hybrid in-person and online festival that runs May 5-26 and will see Henry Winkler receive the IFF Career Achievement Award and philanthropist David Wiener bestowed with the IFF Humanitarian Award.

Israel's entry in Eurovision 2022 will not get to perform live in Turin, Italy due to strikes and security concerns.

broke into a couple’s bedroom in Hawaii and yelled, “I will bury you and your slut wife!” Ezra, the phrase goes “Aloha.” The actor then stole a passport, wallet, driver’s license and other items. That DC (Display of Craziness) earned Miller a restraining order.Miller, 29, also let loose at a karaoke bar — but not by singing “Don’t Stop Believin’.” The star snatched the mike out of a woman’s hand and lunged at a man playing darts.

“Reliable Sources” to discuss his latest study into Fox News’ right-wing bias, but the professor also put the screws to CNN by pointing out its own “partisan coverage filtering.”Kalla, who is an associate professor at Yale, teamed with Stanford researcher David Broockman on a study which paid regular Fox News viewers to watch CNN in September 2020, just before the presidential election, and quizzed them on news stories covered by the network. When polled alongside a group of viewers who only watched Fox News, those who also watched CNN were slightly less right-leaning in their political views.

EXCLUSIVE: The Rosenzweig Group is expanding its international client list, with the additions of actors Or Ben-Melech, Faith Omole and Aaron Poole.

Geordie-born Gogglebox personality Abbie Lynn, 21, has won hearts across the nation since starring in the hit Channel 4 show alongside her “bestie”, Georgia Bell, 22. If you visit Abbie Lynn’s Instagram page, though, you might think you’re seeing double, as she has an identical twin sister who is also called Georgia.

Lise Pedersen Swiss-based sales and distribution agency Lightdox has acquired world rights for “How to Save a Dead Friend,” the debut doc by Russian filmmaker Marusya Syroechkovskaya. Lightdox provided Variety exclusive access to the film’s trailer ahead of the film’s world premiere at Swiss doc film fest Visions du Réel next week.

EXCLUSIVE: Horror-thriller All Fun And Games, starring Asa Butterfield (Sex Education) and Natalia Dyer (Stranger Things), begins production today in Canada with joining cast including Benjamin Evan Ainsworth — who has the title role in Disney’s upcoming Pinocchio — Keith David (Greenleaf) and Annabeth Gish (The Fall of the House of Usher).

EXCLUSIVE: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star Caroline Aaron has joined the cast of Israeli/U.S. Henry Winkler-starring crossover comedy Chanshi.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentIsraeli series “The Lesson,” a taut half-hour series parable on the vicious spiral of social media confrontation, took top honors on Wednesday night at a spirited 2022 Canneseries festival whose main competition was buoyed by titles from some of the boldest players in the business.With “The Lesson” co-lead, the extraordinary Maya Landsmann, walking off with best performance for her nuanced turn as a super-sized troubled teen who goads her liberal teacher into a personal attack on her physical appearance – a put-down which goes viral – the series can rate as the big winner at this year’s event.Produced by Yochanan Kredo at Jasmine TV for Israeli broadcaster Kan 11 – and scoring huge numbers when aired on the network –  the show, written by Deakla Keydar and directed by Eitan Zur (“Asylum City”), also exemplifies the virtues of much best Israeli TV drama: Taut, pointed writing, great acting, direction which serves the drama, production values while wringing the most out of low budgets. “Thus is a hugely crafted series, everybody loved it at Canneseries,” Albin Lewi, Canneseries artistic director, told Variety.

Israeli drama The Lesson has won two prizes in this year’s prestigious Canneseries Longform Competition.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentMGM Worldwide Television Distribution has boarded “The Devil Speaks – Eichmann’s Lost Confession,” a riveting documentary revealing a long-hidden, bombshell interview conducted by a Nazi journalist with Adolf Eichmann in Argentina. Produced by Israel’s leading outfit Tadmor Entertainment and Steve Stark’s Toluca Pictures, “The Devil Speaks – Eichmann’s Lost Confession” will world premiere on opening night of Docaviv, the Tel Aviv-based documentary film festival, to mark the 60th anniversary of the Eichmann trial.

Holly Jones Progressive and passionate civics teacher Amir (Doron Ben-David) seeks to dispel the broad stereotypes his class paints of their Arab neighbors after brazen and troubled teen Leanne (Maya Landsmann) incites her peers in class to her rallying call of “Kill the Arabs” while presenting an unsettling scenario for a class project: Bar Arabs from a local swimming pool. Extolling the virtues of empathy is no small feat, however. Amir soon finds himself caught up in a viral conflict with Leanne that calls his character into question and speaks to the often-hasty and out-of-context judgment the populace is eager to make when hard-pressed to do the right thing.“The Lesson,” an all-encompassing six-episode socio-political drama produced by Yochanan Kredo at Jasmine TV for Israeli broadcaster Kan 11, takes a gripping plunge – confirmed by huge figures on Kan 11 – into various forms of prejudice and the way they spread and seed within a community.

The Bubble is the latest comedy with a star studded cast to drop on Netflix.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Planete Plus Orders Munich Hostage Thriller DocFrench broadcaster Planete Plus has commissioned factual political thriller “Munich: Of Games and Blood” from Pernel Media to mark the 50th anniversary of the hostage crisis that rocked the Munich Olympic Games on September 5, 1972. Written by Philippe Saada, Yossi Melman and cinematographer Marc Dugain, the doc is narrated by three protagonists present at the original event where Israeli athletes were taken hostage by Palestinian Black September terrorists: an ex-terrorist, a member of the German police, and a Mossad agent.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorLimonero Films, a boutique distributor of factual shows and documentaries, based in London, has announced a string of sales ahead of MipTV.Make Waves Media’s “Thirties in Color: Countdown to War” has been sold to Japan’s NHK, Italy’s RAI, Spain’s RTVE and Germany’s RTL, which also licensed “Victorian Britain on Film” and “Wild Relations.”The wildlife title “Wild Relations” was picked up by KBS in Korea and Radio Television Hong Kong.“Framed in Miami: The Versace Connection,” Limonero’s first true crime series, was picked up by Discovery in Italy, and their food and travel show “Hidden Flavors of India: North East” by Discovery Asia.Andy Cohen’s “Beijing Spring,” about the Chinese cultural revolution of 1979, was licensed to Sweden’s SVT and Switzerland’s RSI.

NEW YORK -- Richard Howard, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet celebrated for his exuberant monologues of historical figures and a prolific translator who helped introduce readers to a wide range of French literature, has died at age 92.Howard, a professor emeritus at Columbia University, died Thursday at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York. His husband, David Alexander, told The Associated Press that he had dementia.Over a 50-year period, Howard’s poetry, essays and translations totaled well over 200 books and established him as a vital literary creator, commentator and interpreter.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentTrustNordisk, which is at the Canneseries Festival (Apr. 1-6) with “The Dreamer – Becoming Karen Blixen,” has scored a raft of deals on Christian Tafdrup’s psychological horror film “Speak No Evil.”The Sundance film follows a Danish family who befriends a Dutch family while vacationing in Tuscany.

EXCLUSIVE: Israeli and German networks have greenlit DreaMars, a live action series about eight teenagers who fly to Mars for a critical mission in preparation for settlement on the Red Planet.