Leah Purcell’s SXSW-Bound ‘The Drover’s Wife’ Acquired by Samuel Goldwyn For North America (EXCLUSIVE)

Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late Australian wildlife presenter Steve Irwin, has announced the birth of her first child and has paid tribute to her father with the name. The 22-year-old was only eight when her father died in 2006.

Rumours recently began to circulate that Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell had secretly welcomed their first child.

In a sweet Instagram post, Bindi has announced that her due date to give birth is in “about a week”, and also launched a new baby project she has been working on.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorARRI Media has closed a deal with Crescendo House – a new boutique distribution company – for North American rights on Marxist vampire comedy “Bloodsuckers,” following its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.The film, which screened as part of the Berlinale’s Encounters section, was written and directed by Julian Radlmaier.Radlmaier’s script was praised by the jury as being “extravagant, bizarre, and hilarious” when he was presented with the

Sparks will be released in US and Canadian cinemas later this year.The Sparks Brothers takes a deep dive into the careers of Ron and Russell Mael over five decades, complete with an archive of TV and concert clips. A string of musical guests were interviewed for the documentary, including Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos and Flea from Red Hot Chilli Peppers.The Sparks Brothers premiered at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.

Henry Lawson's 1892 short story The Drover's Wife is a beloved classic from Australia's pioneering past. But like most colonial literature, it marginalizes the people of the First Nations, generally depicted as scoundrels or savages.

EXCLUSIVE: Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to Lisa Immordino Vreeland’s well-received documentary Truman and Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefA North American rights deal for mainland Chinese fantasy action film ‘God of War II, was one of several film sales deals struck by Hong Kong’s Media Asia at the recent European Film Market and the ongoing FilMart.Directed by Cai Cong, and starring Charles Lin, Liu Yuxi and David Wu, the film was completed in 2020.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAfter months of rumors, Paradigm Talent Agency and Casey Wasserman have announced an agreement in principle under which Wasserman will acquire Paradigm’s North American live music representation business and form a new operating unit, reps confirmed to Variety.

EXCLUSIVE: We have learned that motion picture industry distribution vet Jim Zak has been named the SVP, North America of Vista Group’s Numero and Maccs. 

Sharon Osbourne is being accused of using racist and homophobic language against her  co-hosts in a new report.The latest allegations came in a story published by journalist Yashar Ali on Tuesday.

Ted K, the true crime drama that premiered at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, has been snapped up for North American distribution by Neon’s boutique label Super Ltd.

Fox Corp.-owned animation studio Bento Box Entertainment is partnering with Australian television and film production company Princess Pictures to form Princess Bento Studio, a new animation studio that will produce animated content out of its headquarters in Melbourne, Australia.

Indigenous Australian actress and writer Leah Purcell is set to debut her first feature as a director, The Drover's Wife (Legend of Molly Johnson), at SXSW's Narrative Spotlight this month. The film, one of three Australian projects screening as part of the annual festival's online program, in its basic form tells the story of a woman raising her children in the outback while her husband is absent, though its themes of gender, identity and class make it a robust character study.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentFilm Movement has acquired North American rights to Cathy Yan’s feature debut “Dead Pigs” which won the Special Jury Prize at Sundance in 2018. Film Movement will release the film in North America in theaters, virtual cinema, home entertainment and digital platforms in June.“Dead Pigs” is social satire about the trials and tribulations connecting a disparate group of people in the midst of a baffling nationwide mystery.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentU.S indie distributor Film Movement has acquired North American rights from Italian sales company True Colours to Palestinian director Ameen Nayfeh’s drama “200 Meters,” about a Palestinian construction worker who takes huge risks to cross the West Bank wall to reach his hospitalized son.In September, “200 Meters,” which marks Nayfeh’s debut, launched from the Venice Film Festival’s Venice Days section, where it won the audience award.