Juno Films Acquires Rights To Oscar Winner Bille August’s Drama ‘The Pact’ About ‘Out Of Africa’ Author Karen Blixen

Global Networks Swoop For Fremantle South Africa Drama ‘Reyka’

EXCLUSIVE: Italian distributor TVCO has taken world sales rights for Dace Pūce sci-fi thriller Manny, the first ever Indo-Latvian co-production.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaSaban Films has acquired North American and South African rights to “So Cold The River,” a new thriller from Paul Shoulberg.

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar winning filmmaker Steve McQueen has set his next feature. He will write, direct and produce Blitz based on his original idea. McQueen has set the film at New Regency and McQueen’s Lammas Park will produce alongside Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title Films.

After the 2020 death of Olivia DeHavilland (at age 104) Walter Mirisch became the oldest currently living winner of an Academy Award. Today this legendary producer turns 100 years old and is still going strong.

Justice  Minister Ronald Lamola called for government officials to be sensitised on transgender and intersex rights  (Photo: Gugu Mandla)

The Avenue has claimed North American rights to Press Play, a romantic drama from Parasite producer CJ ENM, starring Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick), Clara Rugaard (I Am Mother), Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon franchise) and Matt Walsh (Veep), which it will release next year.

EXCLUSIVE: Screen Media has acquired North American rights to A Week in Paradise, a Caribbean-set romantic comedy starring Malin Akerman (The Final Girls), Connie Nielsen (Wonder Woman), Philip Winchester (Flyboys) and Jack Donnelly (Atlantis), with plans for a day-and-date release early next year.

EXCLUSIVE: Saban Films has picked up North American rights to K. Asher Levin’s thriller Dig, starring Thomas Jane, Harlow Jane, Emile Hirsch and Liana Liberato.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorProduction, finance and sales outfit Film Constellation is launching pre-sales on upcoming Samuel Beckett biopic “Dance First,” to be directed by James Marsh and to star Gabriel Byrne.Marsh won an Academy Award for best documentary feature in 2009 with “Man on Wire,” and also directed the Stephen Hawking biopic “The Theory of Everything,” which earned five nominations at the 2015 Oscars, including best picture, and a best actor win for Eddie

EXCLUSIVE: Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired North American rights to Paul Riccio’s dramedy Give or Take, toplined by Norbert Leo Butz (Fosse/Verdon, Bloodline), Joanne Tucker (American Rust, The Report) and Cheri Oteri (Saturday Night Live), with plans to release it in theaters in multiple markets in February.

Government, civil society and EU representatives will be discussing how to ensure equality for transgender and intersex South Africans at a historic event in Johannesburg this week.

EXCLUSIVE: Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to iGilbert, the feature directorial debut of actor Adrian Martinez (The Guilty, I Feel Pretty), in which he also stars alongside Dascha Polanco (In the Heights, Orange Is the New Black) and Raùl Castillo (Army of the Dead, We the Animals). The indie distributor will release the drama in theaters and on demand on December 31.

“Solid Ivory: Memoirs” by James Ivory (Farrar, Straus and Giroux):Film director James Ivory knows how to tell a story and engage an audience. His most popular and critically acclaimed costume dramas — “A Room with a View,” “Howards End” and “The Remains of the Day” — earned him three Oscar nominations.

Carole Horst Saban Films has nabbed North American rights to the thriller “Summit Fever,” starring Ryan Phillippe and directed by Julian Gilbey.Saban Films’ Bill Bromiley and producer Marc Goldberg brokered the deal.The story of an English climber who, along with his friends, sets out to conquer “the Big Three” – the Matterhorn, the Eiger and Mont Blanc — but they hit deadly challenges.  Freddie Thorp and Mathilde Warnier co-star.

Academy Awards. Variety’s experts present the Circuit Contenders, movies that could score a minimum of two nominations in the major categories — picture, director, screenplay, international film and the acting races.ANNETTE(Amazon) Though it came out earlier in the year, the performances from Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard and Simon Helberg are excellent.