'My son is in so much pain - we can't even give him a cuddle'

Christopher Vourlias Urban Sales has closed a raft of deals on the upcoming animated feature “Into the Wonderwoods” ahead of its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in the Special Screenings section. The film, which bows with a special screening May 22 at the prestigious French fest, has sold to 45 territories, the Paris-based sales outfit announced during the Cannes Market. Pic has sold to Volga for the CIS territories and the Baltics; Selim Ramia & Co.

Cate Blanchett blew kisses to the Cannes Film Festival audience as her new film, “Rumours,” earned a four-minute standing ovation at Cannes Film Festival on Saturday night. The crowd welcomed the film’s dark humor, laughing throughout the entirety of the late-night screening. While some of the auditorium emptied out while the credits rolled, the majority of filmgoers waited patiently to pay their respects to the film’s stars.

Two films expected to be in the awards hunt as the year progresses will screen in tandem at a special one-night only film festival in Tulsa, OK.

EXCLUSIVE: Level 33 Entertainment has acquired distribution rights for the United States and Canada to Ernest Hemingway adaptation, Across The River And Into The Trees, starring Liev Schreiber (Spotlight), Matilda De Angelis (The Undoing), Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games) and Danny Huston (Yellowstone). 

Paramount will keep its chin up high amid the whole Sony and Skydance takeover headlines and keep the summer box office churnin’ with the John Krasinski directed Ryan Reynolds family movie, If, which is hoping to hit $40M; this is after Disney’s overperformance with 20th Century Studios’ Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes which posted a $58.4M opening.

Greta Gerwig addressed the growing #MeToo movement in France at the jury press conference on opening day of this year’s Cannes Film Festival. “I think people in the community of movies telling us stories and trying to change things for the better is only good,” Gerwig said when asked how she felt about #MeToo-related rumors swirling ahead of the festival. “I have seen substantive change in in the American film community, and I think it’s important that we continue to expand that conversation.

Jamie Lang Catalan films routinely punch above their weight at high-profile international festivals: Think 2022 Berlin Golden Bear winner “Alcarràs.” That trend looks primed to continue in 2024. Catalan auteur Albert Serra will debut “Afternoons of Solitude,” co-produced by Catalan companies Andergraun Films and LaCima, with Ideale Audience and Tardes de Soledad.

Annika Pham Rome-based Intramovies has clinched further key sales on the Swedish pic “Paradise is Burning” for which rising talent Mika Gustafson won best director and writer at the 2023 Venice Orizzonti. The coming-of-age drama was sold to Conic in the U.K. and Ireland, HBO Max for Eastern Europe (TV and VOD rights), Leopardo Filmes in Portugal, Providence/Belas Artes Grupo Brazil, and Mongsang in South Korea.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent New Italian media company Be Water – which is in Cannes for the first time – has announced its full roster of partners and scope of business activities comprising film, documentary and scripted TV production as well as theatrical film distribution, podcasts and live events. The Rome-based potential powerhouse is operating with what is being described as a holistic approach to content production that is congenial to the digital age, which is certainly a novelty for Italy.

EXCLUSIVE: Francis Ford Coppola‘s Megalopolis has sold to key independent buyers in Europe’s top five territories, we can reveal.

EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of the Cannes market, Lionsgate has taken North American rights off the table on one of the bigger-budget new packages that’ll be on sale next week: that’s action-thriller Mutiny, which will star action evergreen Jason Statham (Fast & Furious) and be directed by Jean-François Richet (Plane).

A press conference featuring the UK's Olly Alexander and other competing Eurovision Song Contest acts has been cancelled this evening, the European Broadcasting Union has confirmed. Olly and the other acts, who were automatic qualifiers for Saturday’s live show, were due to speak to the media ahead of the Grand Final on Saturday, but following a last minute decision by the EBU, will no longer be doing so.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Korean sales firm Finecut has inked multiple deals for horror thriller “Noise” and for “A Traveler’s Needs,” the recent Berlin prize-winner directed by Hong Sangsoo.“Noise” is a “multi-sensory and realistic horror” film that intertwines societal motifs of “floor noise” with suspenseful elements. Directed by Kim Soo-jin, the film centers around a woman with a hearing aid haunted by inexplicable sounds linked to her sister’s disappearance in her own apartment and attracting a malevolent presence.

Paramount+ has revealed the trailer for an upcoming documentary focused on Cyndi Lauper, titled Let The Canary Sing – watch the trailer below.Let The Canary Sing seeks to offer fans a deep dive into the pop icon’s storied career and legacy through archival footage and interviews with Lauper herself, as well as other prominent names in music including Boy George and Patti LaBelle among others.The upcoming documentary will also chronicle Lauper’s impact as an activist for queer rights and allyship, as well as womens’ rights.Watch the trailer for Let The Canary Sing below.Let The Canary Sing is due for release on the Paramount+ streaming platform exclusively on June 4 in the United States and Canada, followed by release in the UK, Australia, Latin America, Brazil, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria on June 5.The documentary will be accompanied by a soundtrack featuring Cyndi Lauper’s biggest hits, including ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun’, ‘Time After Time’, ‘True Colours’ and more.Directed by Alison Ellwood, Lauper said of the documentary via a press statement: “Over the years I’ve been asked to do a documentary about my life and work, but it never felt like the right time. Until now.

EXCLUSIVE: Paramount+ has acquired the Cyndi Lauper documentary Let the Canary Sing and has set the premiere date for June 4 in the U.S. and Canada; the UK, Australia, Latin America, Brazil, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria can watch a day later.

Princ Films boards ‘Isabel’s Garden’ For Cannes Marche Du Film 

In an unconventional move, Vicky Pattison and Ercan Ramadan have jetted off to Dubai for their joint stag and hen parties, before they tie the knot in Italy this summer.The reality TV duo, who got engaged back in February 2022, decided to ditch traditional pre-wedding celebrations and instead jetted off to the United Arab Emirates with their closest friends and family for a party holiday. Former Geordie Shore star Vicky, 36, shared a look inside the incredible bash with her 5.5 million Instagram followers.

Naman Ramachandran Some of the Sony Music Group‘s top European artists are backing a voter participation campaign. Sony has launched what it describes as a “non-partisan campaign,” titled Your Voice, Your Power, Your Vote, to encourage voting in the June European Union elections, with a focus on young people and underrepresented groups.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Amazon raked in $11.82 billion in ad revenue for the first quarter of 2024, topping analyst expectations, fueled by the ecommerce giant’s move to serve advertising by default in Prime Video in multiple markets. Advertising sales for the quarter were up 24% year over year and marked a new Q1 record. The revenue beat Wall Street expectations for the quarter of $11.7 billion, according to StreetAccount.

Gorka Marquez has delighted fans with a fresh 'not long' update weeks after leaving his Greater Manchester home where he lives with his fiancee Gemma Atkinson and their two children.