Global Streamers Helped Documentaries Grow, Take Risks, Sunny Side of the Doc Panel Finds

Rupert Everett is to star in AGC Television, Lionsgate Television and Night Train Media espionage drama Gray, which has entered production in Toronto, as the series rounds out key cast. Check out a first-look picture of leads Lydia West and Patricia Clarkson above.

Dax Shepard is showing his wife some love in his latest post. The 47-year-old actor took to Instagram to share a photo of him and his wife, Kristen Bell, looking happy as ever while on a trip to Europe, but it's the caption where Shepard made his feelings for his partner of nine years known.«I am very happy! I am sexually attracted to my partner,» the English translation of the German caption Shepard wrote read.Bell went on to repost the pic, which saw the pair rocking matching purple dye jobs.The blunt caption and comes as no surprise from Shepard, as both he and the  actress have been notoriously open about their love lives.A post shared by Dax Shepard (@daxshepard)Just last month, Bell spoke about her marriage during an appearance on , where she said that the pair are «polar opposites.»Bell explained that they have worked to find compromise amid their wildly different personalities.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentChristine Vachon, the legendary U.S. indie film producer behind “Far from Heaven,” “Boys Don’t Cry” and HBO miniseries “Mildred Pierce,” will deliver a masterclass at Locarno Pro, the expansive industry program of the Locarno Film Festival.Further masterclasses will be given by Katriel Schory, an architect of the modern build in Israel cinema as executive director of the Israeli Film Fund for 20 years; and by Lucius Barre, the renowned international film publicist who has represented early crossover films by Pedro Almódovar, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Atom Egoyan, Johnnie To and Tom Tykwer.Neon Distribution will be the subject of a panel presentation on original-language film distribution in the U.S.

Alissa Simon Film CriticSci-fi and fantasy fans can soon rejoice in another intrepid YA heroine as “Vesper,” the Lithuania-France-Belgium co-production from directors-writers Kristina Buožytė and Bruno Samper, makes its world premiere in competition at Karlovy Vary Film Festival on Saturday. The Czech debut marks a busy start to the month for the filmmakers. They will also present the film at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in Korea and the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival in Switzerland.The sci-fi-fantasy thriller, which takes place after the collapse of the earth’s eco-system and centers on a 13-year-old girl caring for her paralyzed father, who must use her wits and bio-hacking abilities to fight for survival and the possibility of a future, has proved a popular item for sales agent Anton.

Manori Ravindran International EditorA cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that pulled in an estimated $4 billion worldwide is getting the documentary treatment.Sky Germany, the U.K.’s Channel 4 and super-indie Fremantle are backing a three-part doc series about the con, which was spearheaded by the mysterious Dr. Ruja Ignatova, who is still on the run from law enforcement officials.“Crypto Queen” (working title) promises to shed exclusive new light on one of the biggest digital scams of the last decade.

Berlinale Calls For Acquittal Of Filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga Following Protest Arrest

Westminster Dog Show — revealing the pooch is actually related to her late dog.The 80-year-old rushed to Instagram to share the sweet trivia, revealing her late dog Ghenghis Khan’s relative won Best of Breed for the Chow Chow at the 146th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.“Great news from @westminsterkennelclub! Non-sporting breeds were judged including the chow chows!! Buddakan won,” Stewart wrote alongside a snap of the winning pooch on Instagram.“He is the son of my winner Genghis khan, and Genghis was the son of winner Maddox. Three generations of chow chows I am so proud!!!!!!”A post shared by Martha Stewart (@marthastewart48)In 2012, Stewart’s own Chow Chow, Ghenghis Khan, won Best of Breed at the dog show.“Ghenghis Khan did it! Best of Breed at Westminster! Big deal,” Stewart tweeted at the time.This year’s show saw its first bloodhound emerge victorious at the event after being was crowned the Best in Show winner.The bloodhound, named Trumpet, beat a French bulldog, a German shepherd, a Maltese, an English setter, a Samoyed, and a Lakeland terrier to take the trophy.

Naman Ramachandran Seven international broadcast majors have teamed to launch a call for documentary proposals at the ongoing Sunny Side of the Doc market.The international documentary coproduction unit of France Televisions is uniting with partners ZDF (Germany), Channel 4 (U.K.), CBC (Canada), SVT (Sweden), ORF (Austria) and ABC Australia, seeking proposals for high-end documentaries dealing with subjects in two categories. The first category focuses on ancient civilisations, archaeology, paleontology, geology and space exploration and the second on the subject ‘How cutting-edge science can provide solutions to save the planet.’Proposals should ideally be “an epic scientific adventure with international scope, following groups of international scientists in their fieldwork,” with “wide and international audience appeal” and “factual clarity combined with an engaging and emotional approach, creating a sense of awe” and are “visually spectacular, using the best of modern image-making techniques,” according to the broadcasters.

EXCLUSIVE: Armani Jackson (Honor Society, Chad), Bella Shepard (iCarly, The Wilds), Chloe Rose Robertson (Wildflower) and Tyler Lawrence Gray (Our Town, Macbeth) are set as the young leads in Paramount+ series Wolf Pack. The series hails from Jeff Davis, developer and executive producer of the 2011 MTV series Teen Wolf, and MTV Entertainment Studios where Davis is under a deal.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentAs Paramount+ prepares for its splashy, star-studded U.K. and Ireland launch in London on Monday, Paramount’s president and CEO of streaming Tom Ryan spoke to Variety about the rebranded company’s global streaming biz expansion that, besides being powered by original content, stands out in the field for its diversified model.This model involves a mix of platforms and partnerships, combining direct-to-consumer and a la carte offerings with a market-by-market approach.

As Paramount+ prepares for UK rollout and in advance of tonight’s swanky London do, the streamer has greenlit a seven-strong international slate including a French fantasy horror thriller, doc on the Circeo Massacre, two shows from Mexico and two from Germany including The Sheikh.

Naman Ramachandran Wildlife and nature programmer Love Nature has greenlit five-part natural history series “Evolution Earth” in co-production with PBS and Arte. The series, produced by Passion Planet and shot in extreme locations around the world, is an examination of adaptation stories that illustrate the rapid pace of change happening across Earth, while providing a look at nature’s ability to thrive.The series includes five films, each showcasing a different extreme landscape including Earth, Islands, Ice, Heat and Grasslands. It will debut across Love Nature’s branded linear and streaming platforms around the world, PBS in the U.S., Arte in France and Germany and on Sky Nature in the U.K.

‘Evolution Earth’ Greenlit By PBS, ARTE, Sky Nature and Love Nature

Naman Ramachandran Streamer Paramount+ is set to make a splash at its U.K. launch in London on June 20, with a galaxy of stars from its original shows set to feature at the hot ticket event. Graham Norton (Paramount+’s “Queen of the Universe”) will host the event which will feature stars from Paramount’s series and films including Gillian Anderson, Viola Davis and Michelle Pfeiffer (“The First Lady”); Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon (“George & Tammy”); Miranda Cosgrove (“iCarly”); Kevin Costner and Kelly Reilly (“Yellowstone”); Tawny Cypress and Melanie Lynskey (“Yellowjackets”); Chiwetel Ejiofor, Naomie Harris and Bill Nighy (“The Man Who Fell To Earth”); Joey Essex, Chloe Ferry, Bethan Kershaw and James Tindale (“All Star Shore”); Matthew Goode and Juno Temple (“The Offer”); Shelley Hennig, Tyler Hoechlin, Tyler Posey, Crystal Reed and Holland Roden (“Teen Wolf”); Faith Hill and Tim McGraw (“1883”); Sonequa Martin-Green (“Star Trek Discovery”); Natascha McElhone and Pablo Schreiber (“Halo”); Kate Mulgrew (“Star Trek Prodigy); David Oyelowo (“Bass Reeves”); and Sylvester Stallone (“Tulsa King”).

Naman Ramachandran Paramount‘s free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) provider Pluto TV has launched four new channels in collaboration with Sony Pictures Television (SPT). The new channels will bring SPT content to Pluto TV across Europe and the U.K.

An expert dog trainer has issued a warning against people buying one particular breed which is 'not a pet'.

Reelz & Paramount+ Among Pre-Buyers Of Princess Diana Doc

Naman Ramachandran U.K. TV producer Content Kings and production finance broker and distribution agent Silverlining Rights have revealed a raft of international pre-sales for “Diana: The Ultimate Truth” (1×60’), a documentary which investigates the circumstances leading up to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, 25 years ago.