HBO Nordic Acquires AJ Annila’s Political Thriller ‘Peacemaker’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Sony Pictures Classics said Thursday that it has acquired North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia and Middle East rights to Juho Kuosmanen’s Compartment No. 6, the Finnish film that just had its world premiere in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. The deal was struck with Totem Films.

Jamie Lang Spain’s Movistar Plus, the Spanish TV and streaming label of telco giant Telefonica, has announced “Rapa,” a new Latin Noir thriller original series starring one of the country’s most decorated film and TV actors, Javier Cámara (“Talk to Her,” “Truman”).La Rapa is supposed to be a day of celebration and festival in the Galician town of A Capelada. However, when the village’s mayor is murdered the local community goes into panic mode.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Rio de Janeiro-based Habanero Film Sales has licensed  U.S.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentIsaac Lee’s Exile Content Studio and Diego Enrique Osorno, whose “1994” must rate as one of the best series produced by Netflix in Mexico, have moved into production in Spain on “Montaña,” the first feature-length documentary to emerge from an Exile-Osorno first look deal announced in 2020.Starting its shoot earlier this year in Chiapas, the southern-most state in Mexico, “Montaña” relates a current and historical mission by an indigenous movement,

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentMadrid-based Avalon is transforming from a prestige producer-distributor into an industrial force.Founded by CEO Stefan Schmitz in 1996, Avalon has carved a reputation most recently for producing and releasing in Spain Carla Simon’s “Summer 1993,” a Berlin 2017 First Feature Award winner.

Jamie Lang International sales, distribution and production company Axxon Media have closed a pair of deals with WarnerMedia for Latin America and the Caribbean, one for a finished feature and the other a project, both announced at this year’s Cannes Marché du Film.WarnerMedia has picked up Mireia Gabilando’s Spanish comedy “The Hive” and will bring the film to its HBO Max Latam channel in 39 territories in Latin America and the Caribbean.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentIn a statement buy, Saban Films has acquired rights to North America – along with Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, France, South Africa and Scandinavia – on Bruce Willis starrer “Soul Assassin.”Directed by Jesse Atlas, the revenge thriller also stars Nomzamo Mbatha (“Coming 2 America”) and Barry Jay Minoff (“Exposure”).

Jamie Lang Leading Italian sales agent and production company The Open Reel is at the Cannes Marché du Film selling its newly-acquired Spanish feature “Mía and Moi” (“Mia y Moi”) from director Borja de la Vega.

EXCLUSIVE: FilmSharks, the Buenos Aires-based sales agency, is busy on the ground here in Cannes and has inked a series of significant deals on key titles from its slate.

Lise Pedersen More than a year after the first lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nordic film industry is showing its remarkable resilience and ability to adapt.Only 2% of film projects were cancelled due to the pandemic, according to a report commissioned by the Nordisk Film & TV Fond — whose partners include national film institutes in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland — and the demand for popular Nordic drama series is higher than ever.Governments across the Nordics

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentOscar-nominated Rodrigo Sorogoyen (“Madre,” “Riot Police”) is set to direct rural thriller “As Bestas,” backed by a powerful alliance of of European companies.Introduced to buyers at this week’s Cannes Marché du Film by its sales agent, Latido Films, “As Bestas” is produced by Jean Labadie’s Le Pacte in France, and in Spain Ibon Cormenzana’s Arcadia Motion Pictures and Caballo Films, Sorogoyen’s own label with Eduardo Villanueva.Adolfo Blanco’s A

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentSpain is no longer a distant country for international film and TV shoots, as the industry builds dramatically amid a flash flood of public financing.In May 2020, as the first wave COVID-19 roiled the country, Spain’s PSOE socialist government raised the cap from €3 million ($3.6 million) to $14.4 million for both tax rebates for international projects and tax credits for local productions.

Nell Tiger Free (Servant), Thomas Doherty (Gossip Girl reboot) and Lorenza Izzo (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) will lead the cast on Fall Into Darkness, an English-language remake of Spanish thriller La Cueva.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Spain’s leading pay TV player, Movistar Plus, has snapped up Brazilian trans drama “Valentina,” the debut feature of helmer-scribe Cássio Pereira dos Santos, in its continued bid to diversify and expand its content.“The film won the audience and best performance awards at the São Paulo International Film Festival, important recognitions that show the project’s potential to communicate well with audiences,” said Movistar’s Carmen Castillo Alvarez.Japan’s Hark & Company

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentMK2, the venerable family-owned film group which operates a leading arthouse multiplex chain in France and Spain, is emerging from the pandemic stronger, cooler and more ambitious than ever.Nathanaël and Elisha Karmitz, who succeeded their father Marin at the helm of the company in 2005, have galvanized the MK2 brand with activities ranging from films, art, publishing, technology and lifestyle.

Fremantle has acquired 12 NENT Studios production labels in the Nordics for an undisclosed sum.

Manori Ravindran International EditorFremantle has swooped in for Nordic Entertainment Group’s unscripted assets, Variety can reveal.The RTL Group-owned “Got Talent” producer will use their new assets — 12 companies in all across Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark — to form Fremantle Nordics. The deal, which is subject to regulatory approval, is expected to close later this year.The Scandinavian NENT Group has had its unscripted assets on the sales block since early 2020.

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Jamie Lang HBO Max, which launches in Spain later this year, has commissioned Unicorn Content to produce a new six-part, true crime docu-series ahead of the occasion, “Dolores: The Truth About the Wanninkhof Case.”Originally convicted of murdering her former partner’s daughter, Dolores Vázquez, or Loli to her friends, turned out to be the victim of one of the highest profile Spanish legal disasters in recent history.In the autumn of 1999, teenager Rocío Wanninkhof was murdered and by September