French Music Rights Body SACEM Collected Record $1.62B In Royalties in 2023

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The historic gains of the French far-right party Rassemblement National (National Rally, or RN) during the European elections on June 9 and French President Emmanuel Macron‘s shock decision to dissolve the National Assembly have not only propelled the country’s film and TV industry into a state of panic but are causing ripples across the economy. Boasting the second-biggest economy in Europe, France saw its stock exchange take a hit this week amid talks that Marine Le Pen‘s far-right party had a solid chance of performing strongly in the parliamentary elections set for June 30 and July 7.

The French Connection and Law And Order star star Tony Lo Bianco has died aged 87.The actor passed away on Tuesday night (June 12) at his horse farm in Poolesville, Maryland, following a long battle with prostate cancer, his representatives confirmed (via The Hollywood Reporter).“Tony passed peacefully at 9pm last night with his wife Alyse by his side,” they said in a statement.Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1936 Lo Bianco was best known for his performance in The French Connection, which won five Academy awards 1971: Best Picture, Best Actor (Gene Hackman), Best Director (William Friedkin), Best Film Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay.He also starred alongside Richard Gere in Bloodbrothers (1978) and appeared alongside Clint Eastwood in City Heat (1984).Lo Bianco kickstarted his film career with the cult classic The Honeymoon Killers (1970), with plenty of big screen work soon following.Outside of film, he was a successful stage actor, director and producer, starring in many Broadway productions including Moliere’s Tartuffe. He also directed eight productions and produced 25 more.In 1975, Lo Bianco won an Obie Award for his role in an Off-Broadway production of Yanks-3, Detroit-0, Top of the Seventh.He was also nominated for a Tony Award for his performance as Eddie Carbone in Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge.Elsewhere, Lo Bianco starred as heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano in Marciano (1979) and later appeared in many tough guy roles in films including City of Hope (1991), Boiling Point (1993) and The Juror (1996).Later in life, Lo Bianco appeared in a number of popular TV series, including Murder, She Wrote and Law And Order.Away from acting, Lo Bianco was also a Golden Gloves boxer.

Tony Lo Bianco, who played the key role of Sal Boca in Best Picture Oscar winner The French Connection and appeared in more than 100 films and TV shows during a 60-year screen career, died Tuesday of prostate cancer at his home in Maryland. He was 87.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Ankama, the French company behind the cult favorite adult animated feature “Mutafukaz” and video game franchises such as “Dofus” and “Wakfu,” has acquired a minority stake in Inthebox, a thriving Annecy-based animation studio. The alliance will allow Ankama to “fast-track its production pipeline and benefit from Inthebox’s expertise with different techniques, such as 3D animation,” Ankama’s co-founder Anthony Roux told Variety in a conversation with Inthebox’s co-founders Mathieu Marin and Madjid Chamekh (pictured).

Dick and Angel Strawbridge, the stars of Escape to the Chateau, confessed that they had "200 plus pages of reasons not to buy" their French abode.

Jamie Lang France’s Annecy Animation Festival opened on Sunday, and among the event’s first activities was a screening of titles from the Commission Films in Competition Lineup. During the projection, the French music video for Chien Méchant’s “Étoile filante,” produced using generative artificial intelligence software, earned the extraordinary distinction of being booed by the Annecy audience.

The stars of Despicable Me 4 stepped out for the New York City premiere a full month before the movie hits theaters!

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The French far-right party Rassemblement National (National Rally, or RN) made historical gains on June 9, dominating the European elections by a landslide with 31.5% of votes. Fronted by the Rassemblement National’s 28 year-old lead candidate Jordan Bardella, the victory prompted French President Emmanuel Macron — whose party Renaissance came in second with 14.5% of votes — to dissolve the National Assembly and call early Parliamentary elections.

As intrigue continues to swirl about its future role as an NBA broadcaster, Warner Bros Discovery‘s Turner Sports has secured U.S. rights to the French Open tennis tournament.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor The Warner Bros. Discovery sports portfolio has long been grounded in offerings from the major U.S. leagues.

, and now has tried on the It girl crop for size.On June 3, EmRata was spotted filming a new Netflix series Too Much in New York City, sporting a shoulder-length bob and wispy bangs. To be fair, this appears to be a wig Ratajkowski is wearing specifically for the role, as it doesn’t look as though she actually went through with a full chop. Doesn’t make it any less on-trend, though.To go with her Amélie-esque bob, Ratajkowski wore baggy knee-length jorts with a drawstring and a black mesh tee under a fuzzy green knit vest.

Novak Djokovic will no longer continue in the French Open.

EXCLUSIVE: Studiocanal and The Picture Company have acquired the rights to the French film Rodeo. The companies plan to transplant the premise to the U.S. and tap into the underground world of street motocross racing.Helmed by first-time filmmaker Lola Quivoron, the original won the Coup de Coeur Jury Award in the Un Certain Regard Section of Cannes in 2022. It was based on Quivoron’s experiences photographing the French city’s urban dirt bike community and the people she met inspired the film.

Jamie Lang Animation veteran Guillaume Dubois has partnered with Ankama‘s Anthony Roux to launch Studio Unagi, a new animation studio based in the Canadian animation, vfx and gaming hotbed of Montreal. The banner’s inaugural slate of projects includes “Bestial” and “Sacré Coeur,” both of which are produced by Ankama, the studio behind the cult favorite adult animated feature “Mutafukaz” and video game franchises such as “Dofus” and “Wakfu.” Studio Unagi will specialize in creating 2D animation and Japanese-style animation and will develop content for YouTube and video games. ‘Bestial’ is a new animated series set in the Krosmoz universe, the setting of Ankama’s “Dofus,” “Wakfu” and “Waven” online video games.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent “Emilia Pérez” breakout star Karla Sofía Gascón, who won the best actress prize at Cannes Film Festival alongside Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz, has filed a complaint against French far-right politician Marion Marechal alleging “sexist insult due to one’s gender identity.” The charges stem from a post on X in which Marechal, who is currently campaigning in European elections for the far-right Reconquête party, wrote upon Gascón’s win at Cannes that “it is therefore a man who receives in Cannes the prize for… best actress. The progress for the left wing is the erasing of women and mothers.” The vitriolic social post sparked outrage within the LGBTQ community and beyond.

Karla Sofia Gascón has filed a complaint with the Paris Public Prosecutor against French far-right leader Marion Maréchal-Le Pen for transphobic comments the politician posted on social media following her Best Actress win at the Cannes Film Festival over the weekend.

Jack Dunn Melinda French Gates, American philanthropist and ex-wife of tech mogul Bill Gates, has pledged $1 billion through 2026 to advance the global power of women via her Pivotal Ventures Foundation. In the May 28 announcement made on the Pivotal Ventures website, French Gates broke down how the $1 billion would be donated. $200 million will go toward organizations in the U.S.

French LGBT+ groups have filed a complaint with the Paris Public Prosecutor against far-right politician Marion Maréchal-Le Pen accusing her of “transphobic insult” for comments she made about Karla Sofía Gascón’s Best Actress win at the Cannes Film Festival over the weekend.

Tim Chan If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. The world’s best tennis players take to the clay courts at Roland Garros this week for the 2024 French Open. Novak Djokovic is the defending French Open champion on the men’s side, while Iga Świątek is the defending women’s champ.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Rolling off its acquisition of Francis Ford Coppola‘s “Megalopolis,” Italy’s leading independent distributor Eagle Pictures has scooped Italian remake rights to French smash hit “A Little Something Extra,” along with a raft of high-profile projects shopped at the Cannes Film Market. The company, which is owned by veteran producer-distributor Tarak Ben Ammar, will produce and distribute the Italian remake of “A Little Something Extra” (“Un Ptit truc en plus), Artus’ heartwarming family comedy which has taken the French box office by storm, selling a whooping 3.4 million tickets in theaters in three weeks. “It’s a delightful film about a father and his son who rob a little jewelry shop in a small town and as they’re looking a place to hide, they get on a bus without realizing that it’s taking them to a summer camp for young adults with disabilities,” Ben Ammar said.