Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Rome’s innovative MIA market dedicated to international TV series, feature films, and documentaries kicks off its eighth edition Tuesday, headed by new chief Gaia Tridente, who has added an animation section and been busy raising the curated mart’s international profile. The Oct. 11-15 MIA mart – its acronym stands for the Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo or International Audiovisual Market – this year is positioned prior to the Mipcom content market and conference that runs Oct. 17-20 in Cannes, since Mipcom has shifted its dates back. But this non-voluntary repositioning has not impacted the number of registered MIA attendees, which is up more than 12% compared with past editions. More than 900 international industry execs are registered for the boutique event being held in central Rome’s Palazzo Barberini, which is Italy’s National Ancient Art gallery that during MIA doubles as the market’s hub where company stands are set up amid Renaissance and Baroque masterpieces. Screenings are held in a nearby state-of-the-art multiplex.
‘House of the Dragon’ Creator Ryan Condal Addresses Why Miguel Sapochnik Left as Co-Showrunner
26.09.2022 - 19:04 / thewrap.com
HBO confirmed Sapochnik was stepping away from the series, though he remains an executive producer for the remainder of the show. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in a new interview, Condal said he was aware that Sapochnik might not be available in co-showrunner capacity for the entire “HoTD” run.“It was definitely in Miguel’s mind,” Condal said.
“He’s definitely lived in Westeros for a really long time. I was always potentially aware that he might have just set this one season up on his feet and got the feather in his cap of doing a show that he co-ran and had a hand in the conception and casting and making of, versus the original series where he definitely became a producer at the end, was certainly I think [‘Thrones’ showrunners] David [Benioff] and Dan [“D.B.” Weiss]’s most trusted filmmaker, but not in the way that he participated in ‘House of the Dragon.’ So it was always in the back of my mind.”Condal said he believed Sapochnik had shared what he needed to with the first season of “HoTD.”“I think at the end, he felt like he had said what he had to say,” the co-creator and now lone showrunner added. With Sapochnik’s exit (he has a first-look deal with HBO), “Game of Thrones” veteran director Alan Taylor (“Mad Men,” “The Sopranos,” “Rome” and “Deadwood”) is joining as director and an executive producer for multiple Season 2 episodes.
Condal told EW that the team at HBO suggested Taylor.“That’s a director that I just would have assumed was not available, but I’ve always wanted to work with Alan,” he says. “He’s a legend, has worked on almost, I think, every one of my favorite television shows of all time.
When HBO brought him up, we jumped all over it. We got on the phone and we chatted.
‘CODA’ Star Troy Kotsur Joins Mounia Meddour’s ‘Houria’ as Executive Producer Ahead of Rome Festival World Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Troy Kotsur, the Oscar-winning actor of “CODA,” has joined Mounia Meddour’s uplifting drama “Houria” ahead of its world premiere at the Rome Film Festival. Meddour’s follow-up to her Cesar-winning film “Papicha” tells the story of Houria, a gifted dancer with dreams of joining the Algerian National Ballet. To make ends meet, she bets in clandestine fights overnight. However after winning a final, Houria is violently assaulted by a man determined to get his money back. When she wakes up in a hospital, she no longer is able to speak and will certainly never dance again. Refusing to abandon her dream, she throws herself, heart and soul, into her physical recovery and meets at a rehab center other women damaged by life. Houria resolves to help them transcend their wounded bodies and stand tall by teaching them how to dance through a choreography inspired by sign language.
Inside David S. Goyer’s Blueprint for ‘Batman Unburied’ Spinoffs, ‘Eternal Champion’ TV Series and Playing the ‘Elevated’ Genre Game (EXCLUSIVE)
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer With peak nerd TV upon us, there’s never been a better time to be a fan of genre programming – or David S. Goyer, a devotee and prolific writer-producer of genre fare. Goyer and his Phantom Four Films partner Keith Levine produced Hulu’s new David Bruckner-directed “Hellraiser” movie, which launched Friday, and are in the middle of filming their latest take on classic IP, “The Omen” prequel movie “The First Omen,” in Rome. Beyond that, the pair are in post-production on the second season of Apple’s “Foundation” adaptation, breaking the writers’ room for more episodes of the “Batman Unburied” podcast for DC and Spotify. They’re also working on two spinoff podcasts, including “Riddler,” featuring Hasan Minhaj, and a Batgirl/Barbara Gordon project. And they’re in the early stages of developing a dramatic series revolving around Michael Moorcock’s “The Eternal Champion” books for Skydance and Apple TV+ with “Foundation” writer Dana Jackson. If that’s not enough, they’re also holding their breath for a renewal of the Warner Bros.-produced “The Sandman” at Netflix.
WWE Sets New Commentary Teams for ‘Raw,’ ‘SmackDown,’ ‘NXT’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Joe Otterson TV Reporter WWE is shaking up their commentary teams, Variety has learned exclusively. Beginning with this week’s season premiere episode of “SmackDown,” the commentary team for the shows will be as follows: On “SmackDown,” Michael Cole and Wade Barrett will be the main commentators, with Barrett moving over from the “NXT” commentary team. Samantha Irvin will serve as the ring announcer, with Kayla Braxton and Megan Morant serving as backstage interviewers. At “Monday Night Raw,” Kevin Patrick and Corey Graves will the commentary team. Patrick has worked as a backstage correspondent, a play-by-play commentator for “WWE Main Event,” and the host of “Raw Talk.” Mike Rome will be the ring announcer. Cathy Kelley and Byron Saxton will conduct onscreen interviews. Kelley is returning to WWE after leaving the company in 2020. Saxton has been working on the “Raw” commentary desk along with Graves and Jimmy Smith of late.
Rome MIA Content Market Set For Strong International Industry Presence At Upcoming Edition
Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Rome’s innovative MIA market dedicated to international TV series, feature films, and documentaries is gearing up for its eighth edition with an increased international industry presence, a new animation section, and lots of European content – most of which in early stages of production – on display. The upcoming Oct. 11-15 MIA mart (whose acronym stands for the Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo or International Audiovisual Market) this year is positioned prior to the Mipcom content market and conference that runs Oct. 17-20 in Cannes, since Mipcom has shifted its dates forward. But the repositioning has not impacted the number of registered attendees which is up more than 12% compared with past MIA editions. More than 900 international industry execs are expected to make the trek, and counting, organizers said at a Rome press conference on Thursday.
Rome’s MIA Announces 12% Rise In Accreditations As International Audiovisual Market Gears Up For Return To Full Strength
Italy’s International Audiovisual Market MIA is expecting a return to full force this year ahead of its eighth edition in Rome from October 11 to15.
‘Pennyworth’ Creator On DC Drama’s Move From Epix To HBO Max: “Platforms Matter”
Bruno Heller (Gotham, Rome) has a funny way — quite literally — of describing the move of Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman’s Butler from Epix to HBO Max.
Italy’s True Colours Takes Sales on Toni Servillo-Starrer ‘Strangeness’ Ahead of Rome MIA Market (EXCLUSIVE)
Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italian sales company True Colours has taken international distribution rights to Roberto Andò’s “La Stranezza” (“Strangeness”), toplining Toni Servillo (“The Great Beauty”) as the Nobel-prize-winning playwright Luigi Pirandello. This tragicomic period piece about how Pirandello found inspiration to write his masterpiece “Six Characters in Search of an Author” will launch from the Rome Film Festival and concurrently have its market premiere at the Eternal City’s upcoming MIA Market, which runs Oct. 11-15. Starring alongside Servillo are popular Sicilian comedy duo Salvo Ficarra and Valentino Picone, who are known in Italy as Ficarra and Picone.
‘Power Of The Dog’ Producer Tanya Seghatchian To Lead London Film Festival Jury; Luc Besson & James Gray Booked For Rome’s Talks Program; Banijay Completes Sony Germany Deal; Bert Habets Named
‘Power Of The Dog’ Producer Tanya Seghatchian To Lead London Film Festival Jury
Song You Need: Rome Streetz is unrelenting on “Heart On Froze”
The FADER’s “Songs You Need” are the tracks we can’t stop playing. Check back every day for new music and follow along on our Spotify playlist. My favorite moments on Kiss The Ring, the excellent new album from New York rapper Rome Streetz, are the ones where chaos very nearly takes over.
Pope Francis YouTube Doc ‘The Letter: A Message For Our Earth’ Launches From Vatican City – Trailer
Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent YouTube Original doc “The Letter: A Message For Our Earth,” an unprecedented call to action for climate change from Pope Francis, featuring his dialogues with activists from the Brazilian Amazon, India, Senegal and the U.S., launched on Tuesday from Vatican City. The high-profile ecological doc is directed by Emmy-winning director Nicolas Brown (“Serengeti Rules”) and produced by Off The Fence, the company behind Oscar-winning doc “My Octopus Teacher,” in tandem with the Laudato si’ Movement which is a global Catholic climate change organization. Shot in cinematic style, “The Letter” takes its cue from the pope’s landmark Laudato si’ environmental encyclical and interweaves the lives of five main characters, comprising Amazon rain forest tribe chief Cacique Odair “Dadá” Borari; Ridhima Pandey, a young climate activist from India; Senegalese climate refugee Arouna Kandé who is a student in sustainable development; and U.S. scientists Greg Asner and Robin Martin who have developed an innovative technique to map underwater heat waves that kill coral reefs.
‘Borat’ Breakout Maria Bakalova To Star In Thriller ‘Electra’; Filming Underway In Italy For Director Hala Matar
EXCLUSIVE: Oscar nominee Maria Bakalova (Borat 2) has been set to star with Daryl Wein (Something From Tiffany’s), Jack Farthing (Poldark), and Abigail Cowen (Fate: The Winx) in under-the-radar drama-thriller Electra, which has begun production in Italy.
Paramount+ Releases First Look at Marsai Martin’s ‘Fantasy Football’ – Film News in Brief
Marsai Martin, the sports fantasy film follows Callie A. Coleman (Martin), who discovers that she can magically control her father’s (Omari Hardwick) performance as a running back for the Atlanta Falcons. Along with Martin and Hardwick, the film stars Kelly Rowland, Rome Flynn, Elijah Richardson, Hanani Taylor, Abigail Killmeier, Tyla Harris and Isac Ivan. “Fantasy Football” is produced in partnership with The SpringHill Company and Genius Entertainment. Based on an original screenplay by Richard T. Jones, Jeremy Loethen and Tim Olgetree, the film is directed by Anton Cropper and written by Zoe Marshall, Dan Gurewitch and David Young. LeBron James, Spencer Beighley, Jamal Henderson, Marsai Martin, Joshua Martin and Timothy Bourne produce, while Maverick Carter and Jamila Jordan-Theus serve as executive producers.
MAMA Shelter Los Angeles Draws Attention From Stars Like Kendall Jenner and Vanessa Hudgens
A California vibe. There are many reasons why MAMA Shelter has become one of the hottest rooftops in Los Angeles. It’s colorful, a cool hangout spot day and night, and it’s got one of the best views of the city.
Kylie Munnich Lands Goalpost Pictures CEO Role; France TV Distribution & Cineflix Acquisitions; BBC Writers’ Academy — Global Briefs
Former Sky Exec Kylie Munnich Named Goalpost Pictures CEO
Iervolino & Lady Bacardi Entertainment Appoints Head Of U.S. Film Production & Distribution
EXCLUSIVE: Veteran producer Richard Salvatore has been appointed Head of US Film Production and Distribution at Iervolino & Lady Bacardi Entertainment (ILBE) as the Italian company looks to grow its stateside footprint.
Rome Film Festival Unveils First Edition Under New Management; Fetes James Ivory, Launches International Competition
The Rome Film Festival has unveiled its first line-up under the new management team of former Rai executive Paola Malanga as artistic director and Cineteca di Bologna director Gian Luca Farinelli as president, who were both appointed to their roles last March.
Rome Film Festival Lineup Unveiled: James Ivory to Be Honored With Career Prize, New Doc ‘A Cooler Climate’ to Screen
Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent The 17th annual Rome Film Festival will fete James Ivory with a career honor, a mini retrospective and the Italian launch of the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s personal new documentary “A Cooler Climate.” Ivory is expected in Rome to receive the award and present the doc about his life as a traveler that takes its cue from boxes of film the director shot during a life-changing trip to Afghanistan in 1960. The film premieres beforehand at the New York Film Festival. Rome’s Ivory mini-retrospective will comprise his films “Maurice”; “Mr. and Mrs. Bridge,” starring Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward; “The Remains of the Day”; and “A Room With a View.”