UK streamer ITVX is to look into the life of fake CIA agent and bigamist William Allen Jordan in a three-part doc series.
12.03.2023 - 00:09 / variety.com
Tara Karajica Leading documentary sales agent Philippa Kowarsky – who handled Oscar nominees “The Act of Killing,” “Collective” and “Flee” – gave a masterclass at the Thessaloniki Intl. Documentary Festival this week. Kowarsky recently returned to Cinephil, the documentary sales company she founded, as executive chair, after a brief stint at BBC’s doc strand Storyville. Cinephil’s current lineup includes Oscar nominee “A House Made of Splinters.” Cinephil’s previous experience on “Flee” helped pave the way for “A House Made of Splinters,” but obstacles emerged she said. “The film had won best directing at Sundance and no one wanted it. We’ve been everywhere with this film – no one wanted it, or there were distributors that wanted it for deals that were so unattractive, we weren’t going to do it. But we had more and more festivals and we were winning more and more awards around the globe, and nothing in America. Then it was shortlisted for the Oscar, and still nothing in America,” she shared.
The film was nominated for an Oscar. Commenting on this year’s doc nominees, she said: “It’s an interesting batch of films and it just goes to show the documentary branch that’s voting is not voting only with money in mind. So, that is refreshing.” Kowarsky lamented the lack of “middle class” films in today’s cinema ecosystem, due to the influence of the streamers, who have been splashing out on in-house content in recent years, resulting in the proliferation of big budget films and a manifest shortage of mid-tier productions. “You get the big films – [with production budgets of] $2 million, $3 million, $4 million, $5 million – and then they’re sold for $8 million, $10 million, even $25 million in America. And then there are the
UK streamer ITVX is to look into the life of fake CIA agent and bigamist William Allen Jordan in a three-part doc series.
A popular boxing and fitness concept from down under will has chosen Salford as the location for it's first club in the UK. UBX Boxing + Strength was co-founded by four time world champion boxer boxer Danny Green and fitness entrepreneur Tim West.
The Night Agent snuck its way to the top of Netflix’s English-language TV charts for the week of March 20.
Leo Barraclough International Features Editor “Jackie the Wolf,” which will have its world premiere at Hot Docs in the World Showcase program, has debuted its trailer with Variety (below). Deckert Distribution has boarded the film as its world sales agent. The film is a personal exploration of the life and eventual death of right-to-die activist Jacqueline Jencquel, directed through the lens of her son, filmmaker Tuki Jencquel. “In 2018, my mother announced her assisted suicide plans to the world through a controversial interview with Konbini news, which went on to be seen over 18 million times. I had already been filming my mother on and off for many years, but this interview triggered something urgent in me,” Tuki Jencquel said.
Succession co-star Jeremy Strong’s approach to method acting.Earlier this month, their co-star Brian Cox – who plays Logan Roy in the hit HBO series – slammed Strong’s method acting, calling it “American shit”. While calling him “a wonderful actor”, Cox added, “I’m glad he is not in pain personally. It’s really a cultural clash.
It might feel longer, but it’s only been two weeks since “Everything Everywhere All At Once” triumphed at the 95th Academy Awards. And, thankfully, this is a year where there has been no fallout from a physical altercation on stage, an unnecessary ceremony at Union Station, or a Best Picture envelope mishap.
Federation Studios has nabbed worldwide distribution rights to French political comedy and Series Mania winner Under Control.
Ethan Shanfeld Jesse Armstrong saddened millions of fans in February when he announced that the upcoming season of “Succession” would be its last. According to the creator and showrunner of the HBO corporate drama, the ending of Season 4 felt “natural,” but he nonetheless secretly hoped someone would talk him out of wrapping up the series, which is seemingly at its peak. “The word that comes to mind for me is ‘natural.’ I hope people, when they see this season, will feel that it has a natural shape to it,” Armstrong told Variety on the red carpet at the Season 4 premiere, which took place March 20 at New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center. “That’s how I pitched it to my writers’ room, kind of hoping I’d get argued out of it so we’d see a way to do more seasons, because I love working with these people. I think there’s a feeling of completeness and rightness to the shape of the show.”
SPOILER ALERT: The series includes details about new Netflix series The Night Agent, based on the bestselling novel by Matthew Quirk.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon used to share a bank account in order to fund acting auditions.The Oscar-winning duo have famously been friends for the entirety of their careers and beyond, and that friendship even extended beyond the usual boundaries. Appearing on a recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast (as per Variety), the two actors revealed they had one bank account between them starting in the late 1980s.The pair set up the bank account to help make their dreams of making it in Hollywood a reality. “It was unusual, but we needed the money for auditions,” Damon said, before adding the arrangement was “a weird thing in retrospect.”Weighing in, Affleck said: “We were going to help each other and be there for each other.
EXCLUSIVE: Veteran producer Stratton Leopold (Mission: Impossible III) and filmmaker Dax Phelan (The Other Side of the Wind) have teamed up to produce a new currently untitled limited series based on an infamous 19th-century prison escape known affectionately as The Catalpa Expedition.
Showtime has unveiled an April 14th premiere date for their documentary Personality Crisis: One Night Only, on New York Dolls frontman David Johansen, also debuting a trailer for the pic directed by Academy Award winner Martin Scorsese (The Last Waltz) and Emmy nom David Tedeschi (The 50 Year Argument), which you can view above.
A woman who suffered shocking injuries after a horrific dog attack that left her terrified to set foot outside her house and bleeding for 24 hours straight has spoken of her ordeal.
Ben Croll Urban Sales and KMBO have boarded the 2D family film “The Hermit and the Bear,” with the Paris-based exporter handling international sales for the animated title as Gallic distributor KMBO covers the domestic release. This joint distributor/sales agent deal marks a dual show of faith for a development title that recently pitched to substantial buyer interest at the Cartoon Movie pitch and co-production forum in Bordeaux — where KMBO was voted distributor of the year. Adapted from a 1990s tome, the film follows the long apprenticeship between a lonely bear and an irascible hermit. Beginning as an awkward pupil and a rusty teacher, the pair’s bond soon develops into an unusual and life-affirming fellowship. The duo then set off into the forest, singing the benefits of friendship to all the woodland critters.
Fan's of ITV's Lorraine were left in shock and awe as a dog opened a back door and let itself out into the garden during a competition segment on the breakfast show. Lorraine's competition presenter hosted the segment from inside a show fan's home in Bolton, and the woman's Husky dog almost stole the show as it wandered around her living room. At one point, the dog appeared to be bored of the camera crew, as it headed towards the door, lifted up on its hind legs and pulled down on the handle.The clever pooch then used its nose to inch the door open before heading outside for a wander around the garden.
Naman Ramachandran Superstar Rajinikanth, Bollywood star Ajay Devgn, Telugu cinema star Mahesh Babu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among those celebrating India’s double win at the Oscars. “Naatu Naatu” by composer M.M. Keeravaani and lyricist Chandrabose from S.S. Rajamouli’s “RRR” won best original song, while director Kartiki Gonsalves and producer Guneet Monga’s “The Elephant Whisperers” won best documentary short subject. “My hearty congratulations to Shri. Keeravani, Shri. Rajamouli and Shri. Kartiki Gonsalves for getting the prestigious Oscar Award. I salute to the proud Indians,” Rajinikanth tweeted.
Ethan Shanfeld Hosting the 95th Oscars, Jimmy Kimmel did not miss an opportunity to take a dig at Matt Damon, asking Jessica Chastain in a comedic segment, “Was it difficult filming your movie ‘The Martian’ because your co-star Matt Damon can’t read and smells like dog medicine?” Chastain laughed and responded, “I didn’t really have a lot of scenes with him, so it was fine.” Kimmel and Damon’s infamous (and hilarious) feud dates back to the third season of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in 2005, when Kimmel made an off-hand joke at the end of a show about booting Damon, an A-list guest who would never be cut for time. Soon, “I want to apologize to Matt Damon, we ran out of time” became a recurring bit on “Kimmel.”
Marta Balaga The producers of Hollywood blockbusters and arthouse films alike are on the lookout for the most cost-efficient locations. Recent examples include several of the year’s Oscar nominees, from “Aftersun,” which shot in Turkey; “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris,” which went to Budapest; to “Elvis,” in Australia. “Budapest offered an affordable alternative to both London and Paris,” says Jonathan Halperyn, managing director at Budapest-based Hero Squared and a co-producer on the film. “Hungary often comes up as a shooting destination when there is a budget crunch.” He adds: “We applied for co-production status and support from the National Film Institute of Hungary during the COVID hiatus, and by the end of 2020, we were up and running. This is the kind of flexibility we have become known for.”
Naman Ramachandran International sales agency The Open Reel has boarded Indian film “Ek Jagah Apni” (“A Place of Our Own”). The film follows trans women Laila and Roshni who are looking for a house after they are evicted from their rental place. It soon becomes evident that their search for a home is also their ongoing search for a place in a society that wants to keep them away in a section away from the center. “A Place of Our Own” premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2022 and will have its North American premiere at SXSW on March 11. It will then head to the BFI Flare LGBTQIA festival in London later this month.
In the Oscar-nominated documentary A House Made of Splinters, Eva, a girl living in an orphanage in Eastern Ukraine, plays “catch” with a friend, tossing soap bubbles back and forth. As light seeps through a curtained window, Eva cradles the filmy orbs, her hands lathered in soap to keep the bubbles from bursting.