Germany’s Beta Film Swoops on New Movistar+ Original Series ‘Simple,’ Sells Crime Series

Ed Meza @edmezavar U.S. streaming service Topic has inked an exclusive U.S. and Canadian rights deal with Germany’s Beta Film for four European crime series ahead of this year’s Mipcom TV programming mart in Cannes. Dedicated to crime and suspense, Topic, part of First Look Entertainment, picked up the third season of critically acclaimed Austrian-German series “Pagan Peak”; Finnish title “Helsinki Syndrome”; “Silent Road” from Greece; and Croatian-Ukrainian co-production “The Silence.” The agreement also includes renewals of Italian political thriller “1992” and follow-up seasons “1993” and “1994.” Described as Italy’s “House Of Cards,” the show  examines how Italian politics were shaken to the core by a major criminal investigation against widespread corruption in the 1990s.

New York GOP candidate for governor Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y. said that the crime crisis in New York is hitting "close to home" after two people were shot just outside his house on Sunday afternoon.

Anna Marie de la Fuente In what is expected to be a surefire hit, Buendia Estudios revealed an upcoming TV series adaptation of Antonio Gala’s erotic novel, “La Pasion Turca.” The popular novel was last adapted into a hit feature film in 1994 with the late Vicente Aranda directing and Andres Vicente Gomez of Lolafilms producing. It starred singer-actress Ana Belen in what is considered her most successful film. Buendia Estudios’ director general Ignacio Corrales and editorial director Sonia Martínez jointly announced the new project at the 2nd edition of the Iberseries & Platino Industria television event in Madrid. The new six-episode series set to air on Spanish free-to-air channel Antena 3 and streamer AtresPlayer Premium will start shooting by the end of October in Turkey for seven weeks before moving to Madrid. The cast will be made up of Spanish, Turkish and Italian talent.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Asian streaming firm Viu is approaching profitability by staying its lane and sticking with the business principles that have made it a regional success story – Asian content, AVOD and SVOD models under one roof, and resistance to over-expansion. “The industry for streaming has matured very rapidly [in part due to COVID],” said CEO Janice Lee, speaking Wednesday at the APOS convention in Singapore. “But what makes Asia different is that Asia has not yet reached mature market status.” After some six years in business Viu is now EBITDA positive. “We always been focused on monetization. Our AVOD-SVOD mix remains the sustainable model,” said Lee, who also confirmed the company has been able to raise subscription prices in selected markets. The launch of advertising-supported models is now a direction being embraced by the sector giants Netflix and Disney.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Buoyed by the success of last year’s one-to-one networking sessions, Madrid’s 2nd Iberseries & Platino Industria market is launching a new TV forum aimed at fostering co-production and financing pacts between selected producers and potential partners or investors. “We are functioning as an accelerator in a way as the selected projects have at least 40% of their financing in place and just need that final push to see the light,” said Iberseries director Samuel Castro, who adds that these series have budgets ranging from €5 million-€30 million ($ million-$30 million) . The 10 companies, selected out of some 25 submissions, include some heavy hitters led by Spain’s Zebra Prods (Grupo Izen), Gato Grande-MGM, Argentina’s Storylab and El Estudio, founded by former Canana producing partner Pablo Cruz, producer Enrique López Lavigne and former Sony Pictures Intl. Prods. head, Diego Suárez Chialvo. 

Anna Marie de la Fuente In its continued bid to create more premium content for the Latin American market under its Onza Americas banner, Madrid-based Onza Entertainment – behind such hit series as “The Department of Time” and a collaborator on Dopamine’s historical drama “Hernan” – is developing political drama series “Sattva.” Created by Spanish actor Ruben Sanz (“El Dragon”) and written by Int’l Emmy-nominated Luis Gamboa (“Promesas de Campaña”), the series is conceived as a transatlantic production between Mexico and Spain. Onza is presenting “Saatva” at Iberseries & Platino Industria’s new Co-Production & Financing Forum on Sept. 28.

“Dahmer” Netflix series just launched to some impressive premiere numbers, and considering how many people checked out the true crime limited series in its first week, its ’80s and ’90s-infused soundtrack is no doubt of interest.Jeffrey Dahmer was one of the most notorious serial killers in American history. In the 1980s and early 1990s, he committed a series of brutal murders, often dismembering his victims and keeping body parts as souvenirs.

Netflix has unwrapped its latest Italian series, Supersex.

Bulgaria has re-entered the International Film race for the 2023 Academy Awards with In the Heart of the Machine, directed by Martin Makariev.

The latest series of The Crown will premiere on November 9, Netflix has revealed. The fifth series of the hit show, which dramatises the lives of the Royal Family, will feature storylines surrounding the lives of the then Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

Naman Ramachandran Hindi-language “Maja Ma,” starring Bollywood icon Madhuri Dixit Nene, is the first of many Indian original films from Amazon Prime Video, Aparna Purohit, the head of India originals for the streamer, has revealed. The film is a Prime Video commission, as opposed to an acquisition. “We have been acquiring films, we have been putting films straight on our service and over the last two years, we put almost 60 films out and we also bought into co-productions. Producing our own films was the next logical step,” Purohit told Variety. Next up are films in the Telugu and Tamil languages, with films in Malayalam and Kannada being explored. “We want to tell stories that are truly rooted in our soil, stories that are compelling, that are differentiated, in the hands of very passionate creators – story being the starting point for every decision. That’s the strategy,” said Purohit. “And we want to really delight our audiences spread across the length and breadth of the country.”

Before Quentin Tarantino filched the name for “Django Unchained,” another “Django” ruled the Western genre: the 1966 spaghetti western with Franco Nero. The film was so popular it spawned over 30 unofficial “sequels” before Nero reprised the role in 1987’s “Django Strikes Again.” Now, the original film gets a series treatment, courtesy of Sky Original.

Anna Marie de la Fuente In a rare move, Barcelona-based Film Factory Entertainment has snapped up world sales rights to documentary “Mibu, The Moon in a Dish” (“Mibu, La Luna en un Plato”), which opened the Culinary Zinema sidebar of the San Sebastian Festival Sept. 19. The feature debut of Spanish filmmaker Roger Zanuy, the documentary transports audiences to members-only Tokyo restaurant Mibu, which has greatly influenced some of the most prominent chefs in the world, including Spain’s Ferran Adrià (El Bulli), Jose Andrés, also renowned for his humanitarian work, as well as Italy’s Massimo Bottura of Osteria Francescana, among several others.

is here! On Tuesday, Hulu released the trailer for the true crime series, which gives a first look at Kumail Nanjiani as the real-life Somen “Steve” Banerjee, an Indian American entrepreneur who started the stripper troupe Chippendales.“A world of luxury, right at your fingertips,” Banerjee says as he gets dressed in a dapper suit. The 45-second clip shows Banerjee inside of a club full of women, who are excited to see the Chippendale dancers strip down.

Netflix‘s latest true crime documentary series, Sins Of Our Mother.The three-part show follows the story of Lori Vallow Daybell – nicknamed the ‘Doomsday Mom’ – as she falls into a cult-like religious obsession that ends in the arrest of her and husband Chad Daybell. It focuses on her life as she meets religious preacher Daybell, whom she goes on to marry.She has been accused of the murder of two of her children, Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow, as well as conspiracy to murder her fourth husband.She and fifth husband Daybell have denied involvement, and are awaiting trial for first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder after their arrest in February 2020.

Anna Marie de la Fuente San Sebastian’s pix-in-post showcases, which have launched notable movies – Sebastian Lelio’s “Gloria” – and notable directors – Jayro Bustamante, introducing his debut “Ixcanul” – unspools in 2022, with the screenings of six WIP Latam titles taking place over Sept. 19 – 21. WIP Europe, with four titles, runs on Sept. 19 and 20.  In the mix is an awaited title from Chile, “Penal Cordillera,” directed by Felipe Carmona, produced by Dominga Sotomayor and Omar Zuñiga and sold by Luxbox, and “A Strange Path,” from Brazil’s Guto Parente, whose “The Cannibal Club,” acquired by Uncork’d Entertainment, made a stir by portraying a Brazil in which the rich literally eat the poor. 

true-crime scripted drama,, with Evan Peters portraying the man who became known as the “Milwaukee Cannibal.” Ahead of its debut on Netflix, the streaming platform has shared several first looks, including a brief teaser showing Peters as the serial killer as well as the first trailer, giving fans a closer look at the series created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan and also starring Richard Jenkins as Lionel Dahmer, Molly Ringwald as Shari Dahmer, Michael Learned as Catherine Dahmer and Niecy Nash as Glenda Cleveland. From 1978 until his arrest in 1991, Dahmer terrorized America by taking the lives of 17 men and boys. According to Netflix, “is a series that exposes these unconscionable crimes, centered around the underserved victims and their communities impacted by the systemic racism and institutional failures of the police that allowed one of America’s most notorious serial killers to continue his murderous spree in plain sight for over a decade.”The series, meanwhile, marks Peters’ latest collaboration with Murphy after previously starring in nine installments of as well as.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent DR Sales, the commercial arm of the Danish broadcaster, has teamed with the up-and-coming Danish-Swedish banner Nevis Productions on “Nordland 99,” a sinister crime series set in a fictional town in rural Denmark. Directed by rising talent Kasper Møller Rask (“Lemon World”), the show is being produced by Iben Søtang (“Lemon World”) and Anni Faurbye Fernandez, whose credits include Scandinavia’s biggest TV hits, from “The Millennium Trilogy,” to “Wallander,” “Wisting,” and “Atlantic Crossing.” The pair are producing “Nordland 99” at Nevis Productions. Set at the turn of the 21st century, the stylized series unfolds in the aftermath of the disappearance of 18-year-old Alex. His friends, Lukas and Kris, team up with Alex’s sister Emma to find their missing friend. Both Alex’s ex-girlfriend, the town’s pusher, and Emma’s family have information that they suspect may be connected to Alex’s disappearance. Their journey will lead them to uncover terrible crimes and secrets. Meanwhile, Alex’s father, an apathetic police officer, starts his own investigation which slowly become intertwined with the teenagers’ quest. The lush backdrop filled with forests surrounding the town, give “Nordland 99” an enigmatic and eerie atmosphere.