The Valley is coming to Bravo!
09.02.2024 - 18:31 / variety.com
Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Qatar, which put itself on the global entertainment map by hosting the 2022 soccer World Cup, isn’t known as a moviemaking hub. But Doha-based Katara Studios, which is keen on fostering filmmaking and content production in the minuscule gas-rich Gulf nation, is getting the ball rolling.
And the World Cup – followed by the AFC Asian Cup soccer tournament that is currently underway – is an integral part of Katara Studios’ multi-pronged strategy. “When the vision for Katara Studios was established, we thought it would be great to create a space that could include a bit of everything for a filmmaker,” says Katara Studios CEO Ahmed Al Baker.
Besides being a filmmaker and producer, Al Baker also served as creative director of the Qatar World Cup opening ceremony and more recently for the opening ceremony for the AFC Asian Cup, which Katara Studios executive produced. The AFC Asian Cup ceremony, held in early January at Doha’s Lusail Stadium, served to launch Katara Studios’ most recent intellectual property.
Titled “The Lost Chapter of Keileh and Demneh,” it’s based on a collection of ancient fables. Katara Studios produced a 20-minute musical spectacle of “The Lost Chapter” that featured pan-Arabic actors playing animals that are native to Asia and Middle East, some of which now extinct, who inhabit a mythical universe.
The “Lost Chapter” world is “an open canvas to create a universe that a lot of stories can emerge from in different genres and formats,” Al Baker points out, adding that some spinoffs will be in the film and TV sphere. Meanwhile, Katara Studios is producing a longer live musical “Lost Chapter” event, which “will be a full-on theatrical experience.” A pan-Arab
.The Valley is coming to Bravo!
Emiliano De Pablos U.K.-based distributor DCD Rights has pre-sold the fourth season of New Zealand’s mystery drama “My Life Is Murder” to a raft of territories ahead of its Feb. 27 official launch at the London Screenings. Starring Lucy Lawless (“Top of the Lake,” “Spartacus,” “Xena: Warrior Princess”), the series’ brand new season rights have been secured by YLE Finland, TV2 Denmark, Quebecor Content Canada and Yes DBS Israel.
NCT’s Taeyong has released his sophomore solo mini-album, ‘Tap’, along with a music video for its title track of the same name.In the whimsical music video for ‘Tap’, Taeyong, dressed in an oversized business suit, wakes up in the closet of an empty ryokan, which kick starts his exploration of Japan, as he searches for Japanese delicacies such as dango, omurice and more.“Tap, tap, tap, tap, tapping on me / Awkward stare and then slinkin’ away / Looks different now, you got that right / Then I’mma stare back like I know nothing,” the NCT leader raps on the song’s funky chorus.‘Tap’ was co-written by Taeyong, while the album’s five remaining B-sides – ‘Moon Tour’, ‘Run Away’, ‘APE’, ‘Ups & Downs’ and ‘404 Loading’ – also credit Taeyong as a co-lyricist. Most of the tracks on the ‘Tap’ record were co-composed and produced by SQUAR, who also worked with Taeyong on his previous solo work.Taeyong first debuted as a solo artist last June with the mini-album ‘SHALALA’, led by a title track of the same name.
Alex Ritman “La Cocina,” the Rooney Mara-starring drama that recently bowed in competition at the Berlinale, has been acquired for most international territories. HanWay Films has closed sales for France (Originals Factory), Australia and New Zealand (Vendetta), Spain (Avalon), Italy (Teodora Film), Benelux (Cherry Pickers), Switzerland (Filmcoopi), Scandinavia (Mis.
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Hong Kong director Ray Yeung ‘s “All Shall Be Well” has sold in several key markets following its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival. Represented in international markets by Films Boutique, “All Shall Be Well” is playing in the Panorama section at the Berlinale and is eligible for the Teddy Award.
Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. You no longer have to be a “Shark Tank” contestant to receive insider business expertise from Mark Cuban. The billionaire entrepreneur and investor will now teach a class on business and entrepreneurship on MasterClass.
EXCLUSIVE: As production is about to begin on 3000 pictures adaptation of Klara and the Sun directed by Oscar winner Taika Waititi, Natasha Lyonne and Simon Baker have rounded out the cast, led by Jenna Ortega playing the titular character. Academy Award nominated actress Amy Adams, Mia Tharia and Aran Murphy also star in the film.
Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Chan Marshall — a.k.a Cat Power — is one of the most distinctive singers of her generation, emerging from the indie-rock scene of the early ‘90s to become a unique artist fusing a multitude of styles that range from rock to folk to low-key soul, in a long string of albums that alternate between originals and covers. Raised in Georgia, Charlyn Marshall (Chan is a childhood nickname that is pronounced “Shawn”) relocated to New York in the early ‘90s and was adopted by the city’s indie-rock community, releasing a string of increasingly strong albums.
Love Island All Stars fans are convinced that they’ve spotted a hidden ‘clue’ that ‘proves’ Callum Jones is still in love with Molly Smith, after last night’s explosive final. After 36 days in the sun-soaked South African villa, the first ever All Stars series came to a close on Monday night (19 February) when Molly and her partner Tom Clare were crowned the winners and secured a prize of £50,000.
Bridgit Mendler announced 2 major pieces of news on Monday (February 19): she’s a mom and she’s also now the CEO of a space startup called Northwood Space!
Holly Jones Buenos Aires-based sales outfit FilmSharks has closed major territories on dark comedy “Lobo Feroz,” from director Gustavo Hernández (“La Casa Muda”), and on “The Forgotten Killings,” the latest from Ines Paris (“Miguel and William”). Produced by Uruguay’s Mother Superior and Spains’ Bowfinger Intl. Pictures, “Lobo Feroz” is a remake of Israeli film “Big Bad Wolves” from Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado.
Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent The arid area of the West Bank known as Masafer Yatta, which in the 1990s was designated as a live-fire training zone where the Israeli military exercises full control, is home to Basel Adra, a young Palestinian activist who has been fighting the mass expulsion of his community by the Israeli authorities since childhood. “No Other Land,” which screens in Berlin’s Panorama section, documents the gradual demolition of houses and entire villages by the military in the region using bulldozers. The documentary was made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective of four young activists: Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor and Adra.
EXCLUSIVE: Alpha Violet has acquired world sales rights for Uruguayan filmmaking duo Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge’s new drama Don’t You Let Me Go, exploring themes of friendship and death.
EXCLUSIVE: France TV Distribution has posted new deals for French director Delphine Deloget’s custody battle drama All To Play For (Rien à perdre) starring Virgine Efira.
Pamela Anderson Backs EarthDay365 Channel
Sharareh Drury When “Vanderpump Rules” returned for Season 11 on Jan. 30, viewers and cast members alike were still reeling from what might be one of reality television’s most shocking scandals ever — the revelation that Tom Sandoval was cheating on longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix with their co-star Raquel Leviss, which was quickly deemed the #Scandoval.
A group of Berlin Film Festival workers have released a statement calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, the “release of all hostages”, and “stronger institutional leadership”, including from the Berlinale, in response to what they describe as the “current assault on Palestinian life”.
Ellise Shafer A group of Berlinale workers have published an open letter to the festival, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and asking that leadership take a “stronger institutional stance” on what the statement calls “the current assault on Palestinian life.” The letter, which was published on Instagram Monday night with a link to a Google Form for others to sign, was in response to the Berlinale’s Jan. 19 statement on the Israel-Hamas war.
Love Island fans are branding the All Stars show a 'fix', after the Heart Rate Challenge came up with some shocking results. At the end of the challenge on Monday's show, 12 February, it was revealed that exes of three years, Callum and Molly, had each raised each other's heart rates the most, whilst Molly's current partner Tom's was raised the most by Georgia H.
The top "hidden waterfalls" across the UK have been revealed, and two of them are found in Scotland.