ordered a military operation on its neighbouring country in February.“The Russian people are not responsible for the crazy, unacceptable excesses of their leaders like Vladimir Putin,” Depardieu, who has previously praised the Russian leader, said in a statement to French news agency AFP (per France 24).“Russia and Ukraine have always been brother countries,” he continued. “Stop the weapons and negotiate.”On Friday (April 1), Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for Putin, responded to Depardieu’s comments, telling reporters that the actor probably did not completely understand the situation in Ukraine and offered to explain it.“Since the president is mentioned there, I will assume that Depardieu most likely does not fully understand what is happening,” Peskov said on Friday (via News Interfax).He continued: “Due to the fact that he is not completely immersed in the political agenda, he does not understand what happened in Ukraine in 1914, he does not understand what the Minsk agreements are, he does not understand what Donetsk and Lugansk are, he hardly understands what is the bombing of civilians, he is unlikely to know about nationalist elements.”“If necessary, we will be ready to tell him all this and explain it so that he understands better. If he wants,” Peskov concluded.Depardieu left France and took up Russian nationality in 2013 to protest a proposed tax hike on the rich in his homeland.
Jeni Rice-Genzuk Henry Inks Overall Deal With BET Studios, Preps First Projects Including ‘Snatched’ At Showtime
15.03.2022 - 17:03 / deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: Former Grown-ish co-showrunner Jeni Rice-Genzuk Henry has signed an overall deal with BET Studios, the venture launched last year by Paramount and BET to generate premium content from Black creators for Paramount+, Showtime, CBS, Nickelodeon, BET+ and BET, as well as select third-party platforms.
Under the pact, Rice-Genzuk Henry already is working on a couple of projects, including Snatched, an hour-long dramedy in development at Showtime, about two women seeking to “enhance” their lives with plastic surgery; and Unlikely Stepmom, an adaptation of a French format (co-created by Agnes Hurstel and Lea Domenach) about a 25-year-old woman who falls in love with a middle-aged man, who, after a whirlwind romance reveals that he has a six-year-old daughter.
“As BET aligns with the evolving media landscape, BET Studios provides storytellers creative autonomy, leaving room for more veritable representation of Black culture on screen,” said Aisha Summers Burke, EVP, and General Manager, BET Studios. “It is important to work with a team that was not only the best in their fields, but incredibly tuned into the complexities of the Black experience and we found this — and much more — in Jeni. Her industry acumen, creativity and innovation coupled with her ability to deeply connect with viewers are such powerful resources that will help take our rapidly growing BET Studios venture to new heights.”
Rice-Genzuk Henry is coming off a three-year stint as Executive Producer/Co-Showrunner on hit Freeform series Grown-Ish. Before that, she was a co-executive producer on mothership Black-ish while also serving as consulting producer on the first season of Grown-ish.
This marks Rice-Genzuk Henry’s return to BET where she was an
Oscars producer breaks silence over Will Smith and Chris Rock altercation
The following article contains footage that some readers may find distressing. Oscars 2022 producer Will Packer has broken his silence over the altercation between Will Smith and Chris Rock during Sunday night's (March 27) Academy Awards presentation. During the live broadcast Smith walked onto the stage and slapped Rock in the face, after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith while preparing to announce the winner of the Best Documentary Oscar.
‘Petrov’s Flu’ Director Kirill Serebrennikov Leaves Russia After Fraud Sentence Is Cancelled
Kirill Serebrennikov, the prominent Russian director of film and theater, has had his widely-condemned fraud sentence commuted and has subsequently left the country.
Director Kirill Serebrennikov Leaves Russia for France Following End of Travel Ban
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.
‘Fashion Babylon’ Pays Homage to the Kings, Queens and Courtiers of Couture as Jean Paul Gaultier Bids Farewell (EXCLUSIVE)
Leo Barraclough International Features EditorParis-based Italian director Gianluca Matarrese took a deep dive into the world of fashion for his latest documentary feature, “Fashion Babylon,” which world premieres on Saturday at CPH:DOX film festival in Copenhagen. Ahead of the premiere, he spoke to Variety about the film and upcoming projects.The idea for “Fashion Babylon” came to Matarrese after he met American musician and artist Casey Spooner in a bar in the Marais district of Paris, where the director lives.
France Télévisions CEO Delphine Ernotte Cunci: “I Wouldn’t Personally Have Applied Censorship To Russia” – Series Mania
The head of France Télévisions Delphine Ernotte Cunci has said she “wouldn’t personally have applied censorship” to Russian news networks.
Frank Doelger Says He “Didn’t Want To Create Another ‘Game Of Thrones’” When Launching New Shingle; Updates On First Projects – Series Mania
Frank Doelger, who was an executive producer on Game Of Thrones between 2011 and 2019, provided an update on his new company in Germany during a Series Mania panel today.
Will The Ukraine War Permanently Damage Russia’s Role as Eastern Europe’s Alpha Distribution Market?
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 has reverberated across the film industry locally and globally.
Kobalt Music Pulls Out of Russia Over Ukraine Invasion
Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIn what is rapidly becoming a mass music exodus out of Russia, Kobalt became the third major company to announce on Thursday that it is suspending business activity in Russia due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Of the three global major labels, Sony and Warner announced their pullout within an hour of each other on Thursday morning, and Universal made the move on Tuesday.Kobalt’s move is doubly significant because although it is a global company, Kobalt was founded in London by Swedish-born Willard Ahdritz and in many ways is a European company.
Russia Passes Censorship Law Threatening Imprisonment, Forced Labor Over ‘Fake News’
K.J. Yossman Russia has passed a new censorship law in a bid to suppress news of its assault on Ukraine.
Amy Winehouse, Freddie Mercury, John Lennon, Tupac Shakur Documentaries Sell Wide for BBC Studios
Naman Ramachandran Premium documentary titles featuring iconic musicians including John Lennon, Freddie Mercury, Tupac Shakur and Amy Winehouse have sold widely for BBC Studios.Rogan productions’ feature-length documentary for BBC Two, “Freddie Mercury: The Final Act,” charts the final chapter of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury’s life story. International sales include the U.S.
Netflix pauses all projects and acquisitions from Russia amid its invasion on Ukraine: report
Netflix has paused all future projects and acquisitions from Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine, Variety has learned. The streamer had four Russian originals in the pipeline, including a crime thriller series directed by Dasha Zhuk, which was shooting and has been put on hold.The 1990’s set series was Netflix’s second original series filming in Russia, following "Anna K" which wrapped last year.