French Network M6 Tees Up Deception Drama ‘Serial Lover’; Banijay Series Marks First Order For Shine France

Trinidad Barleycorn The setting: a small resort, Les Cimes, in the Swiss Alps, a stone’s throw from the French border. The moment: the end of ski season, tourists have left, time seems to be suspended. The plot: a corpse is found, tied up, with an edelweiss in its mouth. The protagonist: Captain Sterenn Peiry (Marina Hands) leads the investigation. She still mourns her 15-year-old daughter, killed three years before in an avalanche. So much for the beginning of “Off Season” (Hors saison), a Franco-Swiss police series, produced by Akka Films, Gaumont Television with RTS and France Télévisions, and beautifully filmed in CinémaScope by Pierre Monnard. This thrilling six-part series, presented to buyers at the French TV market Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Biarritz, is best in class in the art of constantly misleading the viewer. From the very first minutes, the plot thickens: a second corpse, found in the same gloomy setting, but on the French side, makes the shadow of a serial killer lurk on Les Cimes and brings into the game French policeman Lyes Bouaouni (the excellent Sofiane Zermani, a.k.a. the rapper Fianso). When a third layer is added: Sterenn’s son kills his girlfriend and flees the scene. We are left wondering: how far can a mother go to save her only child?

Ben Croll French filmmakers and sales agents will hit Toronto looking for a sale, great buzz and, above all, a lasting foothold into the U.S. market. Because a welcome perch across the pond can make all the difference, especially given the recent crunch on the international scene.  “Today, the market is extremely polarized,” says Alice Lesort, who heads sales for Les Films du Losange. “There are still films that perform extremely well abroad, but the number of films has shrunk; there are still films that take the spotlight, but the spotlight now focuses on fewer of them.” Bringing the Léa Seydoux-led “One Fine Morning” to Toronto after previous berths in Cannes and Telluride and an upcoming slot in New York, director Mia Hansen-Løve has proven an outlier several times over. For one thing, at only 41-years-old, she’s already made eight features; for another, all but one of those features has seen U.S. distribution.

When it comes to selecting their collaborators, Clean Bandit have always been one step ahead. Knowing exactly who'll complement their unique brand of EDM-classical crossover, members Grace Chatto, Jack and Luke Patterson certainly boast one of the UK dance scene's most successful CVs.

Jessica Kiang In 2016, in the courtroom of Saint-Omer, a small, untouristed town off a D-road between Calais and Lille, the trial took place of a young Senegalese Frenchwoman accused of murdering her baby: an act so utterly antithetical to accepted ideas of motherhood and womanhood that it is inescapably considered the “worst of all possible crimes.” The woman, a PhD student with a reported genius IQ and a flair for flamboyantly intellectual French, confessed but claimed sorcery as the real culprit. It’s the kind of true story that presents an obvious opportunity for a sensitive social drama given to sober, sorrowfully objective observations about the perilous, tumbling vortex of class, gender, ethnic and cultural issues in which it plays out. “Saint Omer,” the deceptively austere, extraordinarily multifaceted fiction debut from documentarian Alice Diop, is not that film. 

Ed Meza @edmezavar France TV Distribution is ratcheting up global sales for the hit Gallic crime series “Bright Minds,” with deals ranging from Japan to the U.S., Canada and Latin America. In its third season, the show, which airs on France 2, follows a police detective who finds a brilliant partner in a young autistic woman with encyclopedic knowledge of criminal investigations who works in the police records bureau. Together, they realize their complementary skills are the key to solving cases. France TV Distribution, which is presenting its current lineup this week at the Unifrance Rendez-Vous market in Biarritz, sold the show to Japanese public broadcaster NHK, which has been airing it since July.

Protagonist Pictures has closed a French distribution deal with Les Films du Losange on Riley Keough and Gina Gammell’s Cannes Camera d’Or winning directorial debut War Pony.

International spending on French TV rocketed by 38.8% last year to €678M, with a huge increase in studios taking advantage of the nation’s tax rebate, according to Unifrance’s annual French TV Export report delivered at the body’s Biarritz Rendez-Vous this afternoon.

French broadcaster TF1 and pay-TV giant Canal+ are locked in a fresh dispute over carriage fees related to the latter’s distribution of TF1’s free digital terrestrial television (DTT) channels.

French Montana was inspired to launch an addiction help service after Mac Miller's death. The rapper passed away in 2018 aged 26 after suffering an accidental drug overdose while French himself battled his own addiction issues over the years before getting sober in 2019 - and he's now revealed the loss of his pal pushed him towards creating a partnership with Guardian Recovery Services and NAQI Healthcare to provides a medically supervised in-home detox program for addicts. Speaking on the 'PEOPLE Every Day' podcast, he explained: "It (Miller's death) touched me because I'm in that space and I consider these artists as my brothers and my family.

Sir Elton John and David Furnish have been making the most of the last days of summer with their sons, Zachary and Elijah.MORE: Elton John posts moving tribute to Princess Diana on 25th anniversary of her passingThe family spent last week in the south of France onboard a yacht with famous friends, including David Walliams. But now it's back to work for the couple – and back to school for their boys.

Variety Staff Follow Us on Twitter After introducing the project at MipTV earlier this year, distributor Newen Connect is bringing its crime thriller series “Syndrome E” to the Unifrance Rendez-Vous, the international sales event for French shows in Biarritz, South-West France, which runs Sept. 4-8. “Syndrome E” is the first TV series adapted from the work of international best-selling thriller writer and screenwriter Franck Thilliez. The French author was the fourth most read writer in France in 2020, with more than 7 million books sold in France and translated in more than 20 countries. “Syndrome E” is the first TV series adapted from international best-selling thriller writer and screenwriter Franck Thilliez. The French author was the fourth most read writer in France in 2020, with more than 7 million books sold in France and translated in more than 20 countries.

Ed Meza @edmezavar The French TV industry’s Rendez-Vous market is again taking place in the picturesque seaside town of Biarritz, bowing Sept. 4 with a showcase of this year’s top TV content after being forced online the past two years due to the pandemic. This year also marks the event’s relaunch under the Unifrance banner following the merger last year of the film and TV promotional organization and TV France International, the Rendez-Vous’ previous organizer. With more and more directors and actors moving increasingly from film to television, Unifrance’s new role is a natural evolution that reflects that development, said Unifrance vice president Hervé Michel.

Milli Vanilli, the infamous ‘80s duo, is getting the biopic treatment. The film, called “Girl You Know Is True” will revive one of the most talked about scandals in the entertaiment industry and looks promising, at least according to the first look images released by the studio.Ana De Armas breaks silence on ‘Blonde’ getting NC-17 rating: ‘It is important to show’‘Los Espookys’ creators discuss the show’s unique Latin American perspectiveA post shared by Elan Ben Ali (@elanbenali)The film will star Elan Ben Ali and Tijan Njie as Fabrice Morvan and Robert Pilatus, the French and German duo that made up the band.

Manori Ravindran International Editor Variety can reveal a first look at Maggie Smith and Laura Linney in the new drama “The Miracle Club,” which has wrapped production in Ireland and is now in post. The Dublin-shot film, which also stars Kathy Bates, centers on four Dublin women who come together on a pilgrimage to the holy city of Lourdes in France, where they discover the solidarity in their friendship and unveil their own personal miracles. Directed by Thaddeus O’Sullivan, “The Miracle Club” wrapped over the summer at Ardmore Studios in Dublin. The film also features Oscar nominee Stephen Rea (“The Crying Game,” “The Usual Suspects”) and up-and-coming star Agnes O’Casey (“Longbourn,” “Ridley Road”).

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Studiocanal has boarded Quentin Reynaud’s timely disaster thriller “The Blaze” ahead of its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival. The film reteams Reynaud with popular French actor Alex Lutz, who headlined the director’s feature debut “Final Set.” Lutz stars alongside revered French actor André Dussolier (“Tell No One”). “The Blaze” follows Simon and his father Joseph who embark on a race-against-the-clock to escape a wildfire. The first-look image features Simon and Joseph who must leave everything behind to escape their coastal region alongside multiple evacuees who are fighting to survive. 

David Furnish and Elton John are currently enjoying the last days of summer on board a yacht in the South of France, and whilst they have been joined by several friends, such as Elizabeth Hurley and David Walliams – their sons, Zachary and Elijah, have also joined in on the fun.MORE: Elton John and Britney Spears shock fans with Tiny Dancer coverTaking to Instagram on Wednesday, David shared an incredibly rare photo of them, and it showed Zachary and Elijah being incredibly brave and jumping off the yacht onto the sea.WATCH: Elton John's sons ski like pros in unbelievable videoThe three of them can be seen with their hands up in the air whilst one of his boys is already mid-air. The family will have been counting down the days to their holiday together after a difficult year for Elton, which saw him take a break from his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour amid health issues, including a fall that required surgery, and catching Covid in January.RELATED: Elizabeth Hurley stuns in pink low-cut swimsuit as she relaxes on board a yachtREAD: Elton John makes fans tearful after sharing big news – 'I'm so excited'Since then, however, Elton has revealed that he is in "top health" and a picture shared by the singer on his Twitter shows him looking better than ever, kitted out head to toe in Gucci.

Bianca Andreescu needs a quick change!

The Berlin Film Festival has appointed Los Angeles-based, US industry expert Jacqueline Lyanga as a US delegate as it expands its international network and seeks to consolidate contacts with the US film industry and filmmakers.