Tan France says he was the victim of a horrifying assault when he was a young child just old enough to attend kindergarten.
01.04.2022 - 11:07 / variety.com
Ben Croll Up until a few short years ago, French scripted dramas offered terrestrial viewers and international buyers the same steady promise: Be they criminal investigators or 17th-century dukes, rarely would a series’ cast skew too young.“Traditional French broadcasters served a somewhat older set of viewers,” says Series Mania artistic director Frederic Lavigne. “And they oriented their programming toward that public.
The characters were more or less the age of the audience.”But for the occasional historical re-creation, most scripted offerings — stemming from both pay TV and free-to-air broadcasters — tended to fall into more procedural models. Indeed, if viewed from afar, France might have seemed home to more middle-age inspectors than any other demographic.
“Under the traditional model, [public] broadcasters couldn’t take as many risks because they were targeting so many million viewers per night,” Lavigne says. Public broadcasters including France Television “are still very limited.
They cannot broadcast anything too audacious or outré [during primetime] and can only air more challenging subjects on a limited number of nights.”That tide began to turn when France Television launched online platform Slash in 2018. As it built a roster of original programming, the platform would offer new talent, restrained budgets and unlimited freedom to craft scripted offerings that could speak to Gen Z experiences and keep those viewers from straying too far.With recent Slash productions such as “Sisters” — a musical that channels adolescent angst through hip-hop and dance — and “About Sasha” — a drama about an intersex youth struggling with questions of identity — making waves at this most recent edition of Series Mania, one
.Tan France says he was the victim of a horrifying assault when he was a young child just old enough to attend kindergarten.
Holly Willoughby was left on the verge of tears on Tuesday's instalment of This Morning as guest Tan France spoke about the horrific racism he faced as a child. Fronting a new BBC Two documentary called Beauty And The Bleach, the Queer Eye star appeared on the ITV show to discuss the impact colourism had on his life after he was beaten up and left for dead at only five years old. Now based in Salt Lake City, Utah, 38 year old Tan explained that the experience left him unable to return to Doncaster to film for the documentary.
Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentAudrey Diwan’s Venice’s Golden Lion prize-winning “Happening,” has won France’s Alice Guy Award for the best female-directed French film of the year.The Alice Guy Prize, which was named in honor of the first female helmer, was created by veteran film journalist Veronique Le Bris in 2018 to highlight the work of women directors. The other four movies which were vying for the prize were Aissa Maiga’s lushly-lensed documentary feature “Marcher sur l’eau” and Catherine Corsini’s timely social drama “La fracture” which world premiered at last year’s Cannes in the official selection; as well as Aurélie Saada’s uplifting dramedy “Rose” and Charlène Favier’s “Slalom,” a coming-of-age film set in the world of competitive skiing.
Loved-up Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz tied the knot yesterday in a stunning ceremony which cost an estimated £3million.The pair wed at Nicola's family estate in Palm Beach, Florida, in a traditional Jewish ceremony with 300 star-studded guests.Today the couple will likely be celebrating their first full day as man and wife, but details of their upcoming honeymoon are still under wraps. During a game of 'Mr & Mrs' with British Vogue, the couple revealed some intimate and fun details about themselves and their relationship. Brooklyn revealed his favourite meal would be a pint of prawns, followed by pie and mash and spotted dick.
Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentSlowing emerging from a two-year pandemic, France’s second biggest multiplex chain behind Pathé, CGR Cinemas, has been put on the market by its owners, Luc Raymond and Charles Raymond, Variety has confirmed.The family-owned business has an estimated value of about $1.1 billion, according to Jocelyn Bouyssy, CGR’s long-time managing director who has been tapped to find a buyer for the group.Founded in 1966 in the Southwestern town of La Rochelle, CGR Cinemas now boasts 74 venues, over 700 screens and more than 2,000 staffers on the payroll. The company began diversifying in recent years by investing in the French distribution company Apollo Films, as well as in hotels and restaurants.
Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentGaumont, the powerhouse behind “Narcos,” “Lupin” and “Barbarians,” has boarded “Le Prince,” a period mystery thriller series written by Charles den Tex and Paul de Vrijer (“Hunter Street”). Currently in development, “Le Prince” will be produced by Gaumont, as well as Stories, a label launched by France TV Distribution, and Dutch producers Paradise Media.
Emiliano De Pablos Emmy Award-winning French toon production-distribution label Dandelooo has clinched a deal with pubcaster France Télévisions for Spanish award-winning 2D animated series “Jasmine & Jambo.”Targeting both upper preschoolers and parents, and bursting with musical notes and humor, “Jasmine & Jambo” is a 27-part series, produced by Barcelona-based company Teidees and Catalan broadcaster Televisió de Catalunya.Directed by Teidees co-founder Silvia Cortés, the show won best international series at the Festival Ecran Jeunesse and was nominated for the Quality in Children’s TV Worldwide award at Prix Jeunesse International.Ensuring a premier broadcast platform, “Jasmine & Jambo” will join the France Télévisions kids and family lineup, available first on streamer Okko from the Fete de la Musique – Music Day – in France on June 21. Also, onboard to bring the music series to Canadian kids are educational networks TFO and Knowledge.
Leo Barraclough International Features EditorGillian Anderson, speaking at a masterclass at the Canneseries TV festival on France’s Côte d’Azur Saturday, teased that she is developing “something else” based on the life of a historical figure, following her roles as Margaret Thatcher in “The Crown” and Eleanor Roosevelt in upcoming series “The First Lady.” No further details were forthcoming from the actor, who recently signed a producing deal with Netflix.Speaking about receiving recognition for her career achievements, such as the Variety Icon Award she accepted Friday in Cannes, she said it felt “kind of surreal actually,” adding, “it kind of feels like it is happening to somebody else.”Asked by French journalist Nora Bouazzouni, who was the onstage interviewer, whether she had realized that her role as Dana Scully in “The X-Files” would change the face of female leads on television when she first read the script, Anderson responded: “Oh God, no.” She saw it just as a job, and “figured it might be a year’s worth of work.” Anderson concurred with Bouazzouni’s assertion that Scully was a “badass” – “confident” and “no push over” – and that had set the tone for her whole career. “I think that the badass-ness pre-existed in me […] and she brought that out in me.
Sydney Sweeney shows off her award she received during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Canneseries Festival on Friday (April 1) in Cannes, France.
Paramount’s Sonic The Hedgehog 2 ran off with a $1.2M No. 1 start in France on Wednesday as the sequel begins early rollout at the international box office this weekend. In France, the little blue critter topped the previous film’s first day holiday release in the market by 30%.
Netflix is partnering with sporting events organizer A.S.O. on a documentary series about the 2022 Tour de France cycling race. With the participation of France Télévisions and produced by Quadbox, the series will follow the journey of eight teams taking part in the most world’s most challenging bike race.
Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentGaining ground on the field of live sports, Netflix is teaming up with with A.S.O. to create a documentary series on the Tour de France 2022, with the participation of France Télévisions.
Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentRussian filmmaker Kirill Serebrennikov — the director of Cannes competition titles “Leto” and “Petrov’s Flu” — has left the country following the end of a three-year travel ban, and has arrived in Paris.A picture of the iconoclastic Russian helmer popped up on social media on Wednesday. In the pic, Serebrennikov wears a T-shirt that reads “I turn the TV off,” which alludes to the propaganda flooding Russian TV since the invasion of Ukraine on Feb.
Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentBanijay has acquired Tooco, the production banner behind the non-scripted hit “Guess My Age,” to further bolster its French outpost. Under the pact, Tooco will be part of the Banijay France brand and will focus on originating concepts for the French and international markets.Tooco, spearheaded by Aurélien Lipiansky and Mikaël Moreau, has been delivering popular French formats, such as Le club des invincibles, produced with Banijay’s Air Production; and Guess My Age which has so far travelled to 22 countries, including Italy, Spain, and Germany.
Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentAfter a year marked by a two-month lockdown and COVID restrictions, the volume of French productions surged by 43.5% in 2021, with 340 films made after widespread postponements in 2020, according to a report unveiled by the CNC (National Film Board).The number of movies produced last year is even 13% higher than in 2019, before the pandemic. Along with production levels, the investment in French films skyrocketed by 73.5% to €1.1 billon ($1.2 billion), the second-highest figure of the decade — behind 2016.
Naman Ramachandran Vice Distribution has struck a content partnership deal with French media group M6 to bring over 100 hours of premium Vice content to the TV network’s AVOD platform, 6play.The lineup of Vice shows set to roll on 6play comprises the fourth season of the hit psycho-analytical documentary franchise “Thérapie,” the acclaimed documentary “Real par Soul Sisters” and the street food series “Au Camion.” Some Vice franchises are also part of the deal, notably “Dark Side of the 90s,” “Rise Up” and “The Story Of,” as well as award-winning content such as “Gaycation,” “The Trixie” and “Katya Show” and “What Would Diplo Do?”“Vice produces and distributes premium content that resonates with young audiences around the world,” said Bea Hegedus, Vice global head of distribution. Vice Distribution launched in 2020 with a catalogue of over 1,000 of programming.