Netflix Director Of UK Features Fiona Lamptey Exits

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Netflix will send out emails to thousands of Netflix users today, warning them that they may lose access to their accounts.

Black Knight, has become the platform’s most-watched non-English series of the week.This is according to data from Netflix’s official most-watched list, which tracks the platforms most popular content based on a metric it calls “hours viewed”. For the week of May 15 to 21, Black Knight logged over 35million hours viewed.It’s the show’s second week as the most-watched non-English series of the week.

Netflix has been warning people for a long time that they were going to crack down on password sharing and the time has finally come.

Get ready to take a walk on the “Glamorous” side.

Ben Croll When director Elene Naveriani first read the book upon which “Blackbird Blackbird Blueberry” is based, they immediately recognized a whole community. “It was the story of my mom, the story of my aunt, the story of my neighbor,” Naveriani tells Variety. “I could name so many women around me that they were really going through the same interior kind of struggle, and I found it very important to bring this character to life on screen.” Playing in Directors’ Fortnight, “Blackbird Blackbird Blueberry” follows 48-year-old Etero (Eka Chavleishvili – the filmmaker’s first and only choice for the character) as she discovers her sexuality and enters into her first relationship later in life. In the film’s startling opening sequence, shopkeeper Etero survives a brush with death, returns to her small corner store, and seduces the first man who walks in – having her initial sexual relation on a momentary whim.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Colombian-Mexican filmmaker Rodrigo García has wrapped his first Spanish-language feature, “Familia,” which was shot in Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico for Netflix. García, who has directed such acclaimed films as “Mother and Child” and “Albert Nobbs,” and whose TV credits include “Six Feet Under,” “Big Love” and “In Treatment,” said: “Shooting ‘Familia’ has been a great experience.” He added: “Great producers, collaborators, several of my favorite Mexican actors and actresses and Netflix’s full support have made this project an unforgettable trip back home.” This is the first time García, who is the son of Colombian Nobel Laureate Gabriel García Marquez, has directed a film in Mexico. He’s an executive producer in Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of his father’s literary classic “100 Years of Solitude,” which will be shooting in Colombia.

Gregg Goldstein Weston Razooli is far more than just a writer, producer and director. He’s a world-builder, as evidenced by his feature debut, “Riddle of Fire.” The faux-’70s children’s fantasy adventure, which premieres May 20 in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight program, follows three tweens (Charlie Stover, Skyler Peters and Phoebe Ferro) on a quest for ingredients to bake a blueberry pie, all to coax the boys’ mother into letting them play a stolen video game. Danger arrives when they meet the “Enchanted Blade Gang” led by a witch (Lio Tipton). Its deadpan comedy and surreal feel — somewhere between “Escape to Witch Mountain,” “Scooby-Doo” and “Napoleon Dynamite” — make it equally appealing to kids, Gen Xers, stoners, Adult Swim watchers and fans of cult indie cinema.

Ben Croll Opening this year’s Directors’ Fortnight, “The Goldman Case” soars on rhetoric and singes with political debate, condensing a decade worth of civic upheaval into the narrow contours of a courtroom thriller. At the center of this docudrama is Pierre Goldman (Arieh Worthalter), a left-wing radical appealing a murder charge – alongside a number of other offenses he actually does cop to – who became a galvanizing figure in France of the 1970s. Working with co-writer Nathalie Hertzberg, director Cedric Kahn lifted from the accused’s two trials in 1974 and 1975, from subsequent interviews with friends and associates, and from the pages of the landmark book, “Dim Memories of a Polish Jew Born in France,” that turned the imprisoned Goldman into a left-wing cause célèbre. Growing up amid fellow travelers, Kahn recognized the 1975 tome from his parents’ night table, though he only became familiar with its contents later in life.

Naman Ramachandran Netflix has unveiled the first trailer for hard hitting crime drama series “Scoop” from acclaimed filmmaker Hansal Mehta (“Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story”). Based on journalist Jigna Vora’s 2019 memoir “Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison,” the series is created by Mehta and Mrunmayee Lagoo Waikul (“Thappad”). The book recounts how renowned journalist Jyotirmoy Dey was murdered by members of the Chhota Rajan gang in 2011. A few months later, fellow journalist and crime reporter Vora was arrested in connection with the murder.  “Scoop” marks Mehta and Netflix’s maiden partnership and the series is set up as the first season of a franchise. Mehta has directed all six episodes of the first season.

Manuel García-Rulfo has been cast in the title role of Netflix’s Spanish-language film Pedro Páramo. Shooting has begun on the Mexican film, which marks cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto’s directorial debut.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International “Emily” star Emma Mackey has joined the cast of “Hot Milk,” the adaptation of the bestselling novel by Deborah Levy. The BAFTA nominee will lead the cast alongside Fiona Shaw (“Killing Eve”), Vicky Krieps (“Corsage”), Vincent Perez (“Shantaram”) and Patsy Ferran (“Living”). HanWay Films has worldwide sales rights and will shop the pic to buyers in Cannes next week. “Hot Milk” marks the directorial debut of award-winning writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz (“She Said,” “Ida,” “Colette”). It will start shooting in July in Greece in co-production with Heretic Films.

Since they began throwing people around the world into fits of laughter with several Netflix comedy specials and global stand-up tours, fans have become curious about Hannah Gadsby’s net worth.

K.J. Yossman Netflix’s director of U.K. features Fiona Lamptey has exited the streamer after nineteenth months, Variety understands. No reason has been given for the move and Netflix declined to comment. Lamptey joined Netflix U.K. Oct. in 2021 from Fruit Tree Media with a brief to expand Netflix’s U.K. talent roster and scout new IP to adapt for feature-length productions. She previously spent 13 years at Channel 4 and its feature division Film4. Among the features developed during her time at the streamer are “I Came By,” starring “Downton Abbey’s” Hugh Bonneville, “The Wonder,” which starred Florence Pugh and “The Strays” starring Ashley Madekwe and Bukky Bakray.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italian director Nanni Moretti’s new film “Il sol dell’avvenire” (“A Brighter Tomorrow”), a multi-layered love letter to filmmaking in the age of streaming giants, is doing brisk biz at the home box office ahead of its Cannes Film Festival international premiere. The latest by Moretti — who customarily gets special permission from Cannes to release his works locally before launching them from the Croisette — has already scored close to €3 million ($3.3 million) from 500 screens in Italy via 01 Distribution since its April 20 release. “Brighter Tomorrow” came in second only to “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” last weekend, which was a long frame due to the International Workers’ Day holiday on May 1.

Naman Ramachandran India is the fastest growing market market in the world for giant streamer Netflix and Monika Shergill, VP, content, for the country, has a clear plan to keep the trajectory going. “A healthy streaming business, according to us, has to be built on the strong fundamentals of engagement, where we are doing very well, and revenue and profit as a global service. We are a profitable service – in many of our markets, we are on the path to profitability,” Shergill told Variety. Earlier this year, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos had said that content watching grew by 30% last year in India and revenue grew by 25%. In a subsequent earnings call, Sarandos addressed the importance of pricing in India, saying: “We’ve got to get pricing and the main payment methods right.”

EXCLUSIVE: Fiona Shaw (Andor), Katherine Waterston (Inherent Vice) and Chaske Spencer (The English) have entered production in NYC on Park Avenue, a new indie drama from Sundance alum Gaby Dellal (On a Clear Day), who directs from her script written with Tina Alexis Allen.

Good afternoon Insiders and welcome to this week’s newsletter, Max Goldbart here with my hand on the tiller. Netflix was in London this week and there was plenty else going on for you to digest over lunch. Read on. And sign up and subscribe here.

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix has put Bandidos, a thriller series about an underwater heist, into production.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Former President Barack Obama narrates and is featured in “Working: What We Do All Day,” a new docuseries from Higher Ground Productions coming to Netflix. In the four-part series, Obama visits everyday people in their homes and places of work as part of exploring questions like, What brings you joy in work — and what gives you purpose? The series follows individuals at all levels of the workforce, from service jobs all the way up to the C-suite, in home care, tech and hospitality industries. “Working: What We Do All Day” premieres May 17 on Netflix globally. Obama posted the trailer for the show on social media (watch below).