International Disruptors: Front Row Filmed Entertainment Founder Gianluca Chakra Talks Bringing Indie Cinema To The Middle East & Local-Language Production Ambitions

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentGiancarlo Giannini, who was the late great Lina Wertmüller’s muse, helmer Gabriele Muccino (“The Pursuit of Happyness”), and Teresa Saponangelo, star of Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Hand of God,” are among top honorees of the seventh edition of Filming Italy — Los Angeles, the bridge between Italy and Hollywood set to run as a hybrid event Feb. 28-March 3.The celebration of Italy’s top film and TV titles is headed by longtime Italian industry promoter Tiziana Rocca, a former chief of the Taormina Film Festival.

So many celebrities sat in the front row at the Bottega Veneta Fashion Show Fall/Winter 2022/2023 at held at Palazzo Fedele on Saturday (February 26) in Milan, Italy.

Refresh for latest…: Sony’s Uncharted handily crossed the $200M mark globally this weekend, after adding $35M from 64 overseas markets and $23.3M domestically. The international box office cume is now $143M. Worldwide, the Tom Holland/Mark Wahlberg-starrer counts $226.4M.

Drive My Car,” a three-hour Japanese film; “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom,” only the second Oscar submission (and first nom) from Bhutan; Paolo Sorrentino’s “Hand of God,” the Italian helmer’s second visit to the Academy Awards; Denmark’s “Flee,” an animated tale of an Afghan refugee; and Norway’s “The Worst Person in the World.”Three of the films even broke out of the international film race, with “Drive My Car” drawing noms for best pic, adapted screenplay and director; “Flee” also earned nominations for animation and doc, while “The Worst Person in the World” nabbed a nom in original screenplay.Joachim Trier, who directed “Worst Person in the World” says of the noms: “The Academy wants a broader spectrum of people from across the world looking at films and voting. It’s a more international community.

EXCLUSIVE:  WME has inked Oscar winning writer-director Guy Nattiv and his producing partner Jaime Ray Newman.

many moving parts here, both via characters and story arcs. So, if you’re not caught up, it’s advisable to read a summary of Season 2 before plunging back into the ongoing saga of childhood friends Lenu (Margherita Mazzucco) and Lila (Gaia Girace), the protagonists of Elena Ferrante’s novels upon which the series is based.The eight-episode third season, premiering Monday, Feb. 28, is subtitled “Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay.” It fast-forwards to the 1970s and finds Lenu and Lila, who have grown apart and have no contact with each other, in polar-opposite circumstances.

Nathan Chen is bringing home his first Olympic gold medal, as well as a Team Silver medal, after winning the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Refresh for latest…: After debuting early in 15 overseas markets last weekend, Sony’s Uncharted was game for another $55.4M at the international box office this session in a total 62 offshore hubs. With a projected $51M four-day domestic frame, the weekend maps out at $106.4M worldwide. This takes the running offshore cume to $88M and global to $139M.

Sony’s Tom Holland/Mark Wahlberg-starrer Uncharted has been dated for a March 14 release in China. The studio’s Weibo account shared the news today with a video message from Holland and Wahlberg and a subtitled trailer, as well as a new poster (see it in full below). This comes at the same time as China has also set a date for Warner Bros/DC’s The Batman, which will go out on March 18.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentDubai-based independent film distributor and producer Front Row Filmed Entertainment has acquired global rights – excluding theatrical, which is limited to the MENA region – for Lebanese drama “Death of a Virgin and the Sin of Not Living” that launched last year from Berlin’s Panorama section.Produced by Beirut-based Bee On Set Productions, “Death of a Virgin” marks director George Peter Barbari’s feature debut. It stars newcomers Etienne Assal, Adnan Khabbaz, Jean-Paul Franjieh and Elie Dankoura Saad.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentMemento International has closed major sales on Ursula Meier’s Berlin contender “The Line,” and “Boy from Heaven” by Tarik Saleh, the Swedish-Egyptian helmer of “The Nile Hilton Incident.” A religious and political thriller, “Boy From Heaven” is set in Cairo, in a Koranic school following the collapse of a grand imam which marks the start of a ruthless battle for influence.The movie is headlined by Tawfeek Barhom and Fares Fares, who previously starred in “The Nile Hilton Incident.” Saleh’s Stockholm-based outfit Atmo is producing the movie with Memento. Memento International has sold the film to Benelux (Cineart), Spain (La Aventura), Italy (Movies Inspired), Greece (Cinobo), Hungary (Vertigo) and Middle East (Falcon). Other territories in negotiation.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterMere months after Tom Holland ignited box office charts with “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” the 25-year-old British actor is swinging back to movie theater marquees with “Uncharted.”Ahead of its domestic debut on Feb. 18, Sony’s big-screen adaptation of its popular video game series opened at the international box office to a solid $21.5 million from 15 overseas markets.“Uncharted” had the biggest start in the United Kingdom, landing in first place with $6.4 million.

Refresh for latest…: Hitting 15 offshore markets ahead of its domestic debut and further overseas expansion next weekend, Sony’s Uncharted mapped out an international box office launch of $21.5M. The Tom Holland/Mark Wahlberg-starrer was No. 1 in each of its openings, taking advantage of school holidays in some markets and, of course, the Spider-Man Holland halo.

Gianluca Vacchi is one of the most charismatic social media personalities. The Italian entrepreneur, DJ, and author have thousands of friends from the highest entertainment spheres, including Marc Anthony.

What was to be one of the highlights for Team U.S.A. in this Olympics ended in heartbreak as skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin missed a gate on her Slalom run tonight and was out of her best event after six seconds.

Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s Neon film Flee made history this morning, as it became the first ever to score a trifecta of Oscar nominations in the categories of Best Animated Feature, Best Documentary Feature and Best International Feature Film.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorMunich-based world sales company Global Screen has closed further deals in major territories for the family entertainment adventure “School of Magical Animals,” the most successful German film at the local box office last year. Global Screen will also be selling the sequel, it announced Tuesday.Deals have been closed for China (A-Quest Culture Media), Japan (Fine Films), Latin America (Discovery), Hungary (ADS), Serbia and Croatia (Investacommerce), and Portugal (NOS).

Refresh for latest…: Sony/Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home scaled fresh heights this session as it reached an amazing new milestone by crossing the $1B mark at the international box office. The offshore cume through Sunday is an estimated $1.003B for a global total of $1.74B.