Region Baltic Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefCritically-acclaimed Australian series “The Newsreader” is set to air in 80 additional territories, following a string of rights sales deals organized by Entertainment One. The six-part show was licensed to the BBC (U.K.), Arte (France and Germany), RTE (Ireland), Viaplay (the Nordic and Baltic regions, Poland and The Netherlands), Cosmo (Spain), Filmin (Portugal and 2nd window in Spain), Now TV (Hong Kong), Telus (Canada) and NBCUniversal International Networks & Direct-To-Consumer (Latin America).Starring Anna Torv and Sam Reid, “The Newsreader” centers around the frantic, busy heart of a commercial TV newsroom set in the 1980s, while following the relationship between an ambitious young TV reporter and the star female news anchor.

Viaplay‘s Central and Eastern European production division Paprika Studios has exited the Scandinavian media group.

Christopher Vourlias Estonia’s Taska Film, the production company behind local box-office hits such as medieval crime thriller “Melchior the Apothecary,” hits Locarno’s Match Me! industry sessions with a slate that includes Jaak Kilmi’s “Dirt in Your Face,” a coming-of-age rock drama set in the twilight of the Soviet Union backed in part by Apollo, the largest cinema chain in the Baltic region. The film follows 17-year-old Mihkel and his band as they go on a journey full of alcohol, protest and music to impress a Western producer visiting a rock festival in 1980s Soviet Estonia.

EXCLUSIVE: Catalyst Studios has tapped Serbian helmer Milena Grujic (A.S. (25), The Future is Bright and Unbearable) to direct action title Verified Target. The project will star international cast including Dominka Walo (Psy 3: W imie Zasad) Sebastian Hulk (All Quiet on the Western Front), Martin Wuttke (Inglorious Bastards), and Maria Erwolter (1899).  

NBCUniversal Global Distributor has struck an old school multi-year content deal in Europe’s Baltic region.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentVice Distribution, the media brand’s commercial arm, has secured a new content partnership with leading Nordic streamer Viaplay. Under the pact, Viaplay will feature 210 hours of Vice programming on its service in the Nordic and Baltic regions, with titles spanning true crime, investigative documentary, entertainment, sport and lifestyle.The partnership with Viaplay — which covers Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — follows a string of similar deals recently signed by Vice Distribution with key platforms such as Pluto TV, Roku, Globo Brazil, and Discovery U.S.

EXCLUSIVE: A number of Estonia’s top creative talents are partnering with streamer Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group) to create the first-ever Estonian Viaplay Original.

Controversial South Korean director Kim Ki-duk died in a hospital in Latvia where he was being treated for COVID-19. He was 59.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentSF Studios has has inked a distribution deal with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (UPHE) to release the studio’s film and television content across the Nordic and Baltic regions. Starting on March 1, the deal will cover a board range of content from Universal, notably the new instalments of the “Trolls World Tour,” the “Jurassic World” and “Fast and Furious” franchises.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentNENT Group, the Nordic region’s leading streaming company, has ordered “Two Sisters,” a series based on the bestselling novels by Sweden’s high-profile media personalities Hannah Widell and Amanda Schulman.Yellow Bird, the banner behind “Millennium” and “Wallander,” is producing the eight-part show.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterEXCLUSIVE: The North Star Film Alliance (NSFA), an organization set up by Finland, Estonia and Latvia to promote the countries’ film production opportunities, is opening an office in Japan in a bid to foster connections between the regions.There has been growing cooperation between the Japanese film biz and NSFA countries, following the 2017 Latvian-Japanese co-production Magic Kimono, currently streaming on Netflix, which was helmed by Latvian director

AMC Theatres said on Monday that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell nine cinema locations in the Baltic region for €65 million, or about $77 million, to reduce its debt and strengthen its liquidity.

Jill Goldsmith Co-Business EditorAMC Entertainment said Monday it’s agreed to sell its nine theaters in the Baltic region (Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia) to UP Invest for €65 million (about $77 million) as it continues to shore up its balance sheet.The move follows a capital raise and debt restructuring July to bolster liquidity and strengthen its balance sheet, said CEO Adam Aron.