French Banner HAGO Boards ‘Sex (re) Education,’ ‘Caro Nostra,’ Closes Deals Across Drama Slate (EXCLUSIVE)

EXCLUSIVE: Samuel Goldwyn Films has taken North American rights on Tarik Saleh’s Cairo Conspiracy, which formerly was known as Boy from Heaven. Sweden’s submission for the Best International Feature Oscar made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, where Saleh won the Best Screenplay prize. Samuel Goldwyn is planning an early-2023 release.

Warning: This podcast contains spoilers about the first two episodes of Prime Video’s The Peripheral

Vacation mode activated! Christina Hall (née Haack) jetted off to Mexico with husband Joshua Hall amid her ongoing child custody drama with ex-husband Ant Anstead.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent France tv distribution has picked up five new documentaries: “The Climate: A 50 Year Battle,” “The Epic History of Europe: From Cesar to Charles de Gaulle,” “Denisova Unveiled,” “Icons of the 20th Century: An Historical Journey” and “MBZ: The Hidden Face of the UAE.” “The Climate: A 50-Year Battle” shines a spotlight on the first time the United Nations set forth the risks human activities pose to the climate in June 1972. The one-off documentary also recounts the scientific and political battles to raise global awareness about climate change in the last 50 years. Written and directed by Alexis Barbier-Bouvet et Elena Sender, “The Climate: A 50-Year Battle” is produced by Effervescence for French Broadcaster France 5.

experiencing a career renaissance thanks to Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, which is allowing both fans (and the actor himself) to go back and consider those films he made back when he was a star the first time around. There’s been a lot of talk about Fraser’s time with The Mummy franchise, but the actor took a recent opportunity in the San Francisco bay area to apologize for something that went wrong while filming George of the Jungle, and in doing so made a brand new error. Fraser recently attended the Mill Valley Film Festival (via SFGate) where The Whale was set to be screened.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Ziad Doueiri, the French-Lebanese filmmaker of the Oscar-nominated movie “The Insult” who made his TV debut with the hit series “Baron Noir,” will next direct “Fièvre” (“Fever”). “Fièvre” was penned by “Baron Noir” screenwriter Eric Benzekri and has been co-developed by French pay TV group Canal+’s Creation Originale label. The show is being produced by Quad, the Paris-based company behind Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache’s “Intouchables” and the series “The Bonfire of Destiny.” “Fievre” is headlined by two female characters played by Nina Meurisse, who notably starred in Celine Sciamma’s Berlinale competition film “Petite Maman,” and Julia Piaton, from Emmanuel Mouret’s “Love Affair(s)” which was part of Cannes 2020’s official selection.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Sydney Gallonde, the French producer of Make It Happen Studio, is set to re-team with MGM TV Intl. Productions on a biopic of Eugene Bullard, one of the first Black American military pilots who was also a boxer and a jazz musician. Gallonde has acquired the book rights to Claude Ribbe’s biography of Bullard, which shed light on the man’s heroic life and drew headlines on French media across the country when it was published in 2012. Like many Black American entertainers such as Josephine Baker, Bullard left America for Europe and France in 1914 to escape racial segregation, lynchings and prejudice. The young and adventurous man, who was born in Georgia, eventually settled in Paris looking for a better life and worked at a music hall. When WWI erupted, Bullard enlisted in France’s Foreign Legion along with other foreign volunteers, becoming one of the few Black combat pilots during the war. He then volunteered for the French Air Service and later became a flight fighter for the French Army. 

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Amazon Prime Video has scored a pair of deals with Warner Bros. Discovery and Sony to bolster its programming in France with premium titles. The agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery gives Prime Video the first-window rights to exclusive TV series from Warner Bros. Discovery in France, including “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin,” the first two seasons of “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” Ava DuVernay’s miniseries “DMZ” and “Peacemaker” Season 1. Also part of the pact are library TV titles, on a non-exclusive basis. These include “Legacies” (Seasons 1 through 3), “Pretty Little Liars,” “Fringe,” “One Tree Hill,” “The Originals” and “Shameless.”

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Disney has confirmed that it will release “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” in theaters in France on Nov. 9 in spite of the country’s strict windowing regulations. The company previously decided to forgo the theatrical roll out of “Strange World” in France on Nov. 23 in favor of a launch on Disney+. The bold move was seen as an attempt to put pressure on upcoming negotiations to amend the windowing rules which are expected to kick off in January. Under the current guidelines, which were established by the French government just nine months ago, Disney’s pay-VOD window is set at four months, and subscription-based streaming window at 17 months after films debut in theaters. The only way to bypass those French rules entirely is to forgo a release in cinemas.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Banijay Rights has pre-sold “Marie-Antoinette,” the eight-part period series, to PPS Distribution in the U.S. The series will have its North American premiere in the Spring. The deal marks the latest international deal for the show which is produced by Banijay Studios France, CAPA Drama and Les Gens. The series was commissioned by Canal +’s Creation Originale label and follows recent pre-sales to the U.K. public broadcaster BBC2 and BBC First in Australia. Created and written by Deborah Davis (“The Favourite”), “Marie Antoinette” tells the story of the avant-garde young queen, played by Emilia Schüle.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Assemble Media, a literary incubator which concurrently develops its book projects for film and TV adaptation, has sold five new titles to major publishers. Founded by by director and producer Jack Heller, the round of sales includes “Eat Post Like” (to Avon, division of HarperCollins), “Promposal” (to Joy Revolution, an imprint of Delacorte at Penguin Random House), “The Wayside,” “The Light Between Sirens,” and “The Girls From Hush Cabin” (to Blackstone Publishing).  All of Assemble’s intellectual property and book concepts are developed in-house then packaged with writers and shopped to publishers. Heller’s team includes Caitlin de Lisser-Ellen and Steven Salpeter, president of literary and IP development.“The original concepts that come to life from the collaboration of our Assemble team and brilliant writers truly showcase the ingenuity and boldness of those behind the scenes,” said Heller. “We have been extremely lucky to work alongside inspiring individuals and  love watching these projects develop.”The company has served as producers on films like Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain. They also recently sold “Instafamous” to MGM and Orion TV, an original Assemble Media concept written by Alexis Nedd. It was included in the first issue of their Blackstone-published short story publication Assemble Artifacts. Read a brief synopsis of each project: “Eat Post Like” by Emily Arden Wells: Pitched as “Emily in Paris” meets “Eat Pray Love,” the story follows a woman who discovers her newly deceased-boyfriend is behind one of the most popular food critic social media accounts. She decides to take his place on a tour around the world to discover great meals and herself.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Pathé and Chapter 2, a Mediawan company, are set to reteam with “Three Musketeers” director Martin Bourboulon on a riveting thriller set in the backdrop of the fall of Kabul and the takeover by the Taliban. The film is an adaptation of “13 days, 13 Nights, in the Hell of Kabul,” a sprawling real-life account of the events written by commander Mohamed Bida and published by Denoël last month. Bourboulon, who recently completed shooting “The Three Musketeers,” a big-budget two-part saga based on Alexandre Dumas’ masterpiece, will be filming the movie in French and English with an immersive and ultra-realistic style.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Mediawan Kids & Family’s animation label Somewhere Animation is set to produce its first show, “Chefclub Adventures,” a colorful comedy series set in the world of cooking. The Paris-based company, which is dedicated to 2D animation, is partnering up with the popular brand and studio Chefclub to create the series. “Chefclub Adventures” will be distributed in France and worldwide by Mediawan Kids & Family. It will be introduced to buyers at Mipcom Junior as one of the five finalists. Founded in 2016 by the Lang brothers, Chefclub runs an online digital cooking channel and website drawing 2.5 billion views each month worldwide, including 390 million views each month in France and one billion in the U.S., according to Mediawan.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Cinemed, the Mediterranean Cinema Film Festival, is partnering up with Lebanese film org Aflamuna / Beirut DC to launch a new co-production and co-financing initiative aimed at high-profile projects from the Arab world. The new program, which is also backed by France’s National Film Board and is part of the festival’s industry showcase Cinemed Meetings, will present seven projects involving 22 Arab countries, including Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Liban, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Syria, among others. All selected projects are currently in development and are being brought by filmmakers who have previously directed at least one short film.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent On the outskirts of Paris, in a vast, industrial-looking studio in Bry-sur-Marne, the clocks have turned back to the 1770s. Opulent decor — gilded furniture, flower-adorned curtains and marble everywhere — fills the soundstage. The atmosphere is studious on the set of “Marie-Antoinette,” a lavish French-produced costume drama created, co-written and executive produced by Deborah Davis. She’s delivering a feminist take on an infamous historical figure, best-known for apocryphally advising the starving masses to eat cake. We all know how that ended. On screen, Marie-Antoinette hasn’t been treated better than she was at the guillotine, where she’s often depicted as a villain or a frivolous airhead.

Chip and Joanna Gaines have their hands full. However, that doesn't mean they aren't interested in possibly expanding their family sometime in the future.The couple recently sat down with ET's Kevin Frazier, and they reflected on their adorable kids, and why Joanna still thinks about wanting more.«I am terrified of that moment when our last one leaves,» she said with a laugh.

DALY CITY, CALIF. – In some of America’s most expensive cities, residents are having to pack up and leave as rent prices rise. Inflation is keeping teachers from moving into these major cities like San Francisco in California, fueling the need for more staff when school districts are already struggling to hire.  Rent prices in San Francisco have gone up more 16% in the past year, the real estate company Redfin reported in June.The most recent teacher salary data shows that the average salary for teachers has gone down in the past decade by 3.2%, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Yellow Veil Pictures has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Canadian director Charlotte Le Bon’s “Falcon Lake” which world premiered at Cannes’ Directors Fortnight. The coming-of-age tale, handled by Memento International, marks the feature debut of Le Bon, an actor-turned-filmmaker who notably starred in Sean Ellis’s “Anthropoid,” Lasse Hallström’s “The Hundred Foot Journey” and Terry George’s “The Promise.” “Falcon Lake” follows two teenagers, Bastien and Chloé, who spend their summer vacation with their families at a lake cabin in Quebec which is haunted by a ghost legend. Despite the age gap between them, they form a singular bond. Ready to overcome his worst fears to earn a place in Chloé’s heart, the young boy experiences a turbulent pivotal moment during this holiday.

Japanese director Naomi Kawase will preside over the international jury of the 44th edition of the Cairo International Film Festival, running November 13 to 22.