‘Poker Face,’ Starring Natasha Lyonne, Among Competition Titles at Monte-Carlo Television Festival

SkyShowtime CEO Monty Sarhan led a market keynote at Cannes this afternoon, during which he shared the streamer’s forthcoming slate, including a series of original European-produced shows set to hit the streamer this year and into 2024.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Maxime Rappaz’s debut film “Let Me Go,” which plays in the Cannes ACID sidebar, has been sold to Brazil and Taiwan. The film stars Cannes regular Jeanne Balibar in the lead role as a fiftysomething woman torn between her family commitments and pursuing her own desires. Every Tuesday, a neighbor takes care of Claudine’s son while she goes to a mountain hotel to meet men passing through. When one of them decides to extend his stay for her, Claudine is confused and finds herself dreaming of another life. Imovision has acquired all rights for Brazil, and will release the film in cinemas after a Brazilian festival premiere. “The mise en scène is excellent and Jeanne Balibar is extraordinary,” Jean-Thomas Bernardini, president of Imovision, commented.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Flawless, XYZ Films and Tea Shop Productions have acquired the Cannes Critics’ Week selection “Vincent Must Die” for all English-speaking territories from Goodfellas. Flawless, the pioneering film technology company and a leader in the field of visual translation, recently announced it has launched a partnership with XYZ Films and Tea Shop Productions to acquire rights to foreign-language films, converting them to English for distribution in relevant markets. Directed by Stéphan Castang, “Vincent Must Die” is written by Mathieu Naert, produced by Thierry Lounas and Claire Bonnefoy, and stars Karim Leklou and Vimala Pons. In the film, an ordinary man finds himself fighting for his life after he goes out one day and is mysteriously attacked by random strangers in the street with the intent to kill him.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Variety has been given a sneak peek of the trailer (below) for Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days,” which world premieres in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. The film is a deeply moving and poetic reflection on finding beauty in the everyday world around us. It follows Hirayama, who seems utterly content with his simple life as a cleaner of toilets in Tokyo. Outside of his very structured everyday routine he enjoys his passion for music and for books. And he loves trees and takes photos of them. A series of unexpected encounters gradually reveal more of his past. Koji Yakusho leads the cast. In 2005, he co-starred in “Memoirs of a Geisha,” which was nominated for six Academy Awards. In the following year, he co-starred in “Babel,” a film that was honored by the Cannes Film Festival and earned Golden Globes and Academy Awards.

The producers of NTR30, the working title of an upcoming project from RRR star N.T. Rama Rao Jr. (aka NTR Jr), have confirmed that the film’s title will be Devara, and have shared a first look of the film. 

Naman Ramachandran “Devara” has been revealed as the title of “RRR” star NTR Jr’s 30th film. The star revealed the title on Friday via Twitter.#Devara pic.twitter.com/bUrmfh46sR “Devara,” which means God or Godlike, reunites NTR Jr with his “Janatha Garage” director Koratala Siva, whose last film was “Acharya,” starring megastar Chiranjeevi and “RRR” star Ram Charan. The film also stars Janhvi Kapoor (“Mili”) and Saif Ali Khan (“Vikram Vedha” in pivotal roles. The actor had revealed to Variety that the film is a revenge drama. Plot details are under wraps and the film has the cryptic tagline: “When courage turns into a disease… fear is the only cure.”

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Beta Cinema has closed further presales for “The Offing,” which will star Helena Bonham Carter, and will be directed by Jessica Hobbs, an Emmy Award-winner for “The Crown.” New deals include Spain (Beta Fiction), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo), Switzerland (Pathé Films), former Yugoslavia (Discovery) and the Middle East (Front Row). CineSky Pictures has picked up worldwide airline rights. A multi-territory deal with Curzon, Cineart and Madman for U.K./Ireland, Benelux and Australia/New Zealand was revealed in April. “The Offing,” which is based on the novel by Benjamin Myers, is set on the northeast English coast shortly after World War II. It tells the story of shy, 16-year-old Robert, and the hard-drinking, foul-mouthed, bohemian recluse Dulcie Piper, played by Bonham Carter, and their unlikely friendship.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Andrew Ross Sorkin is the co-creator of the Showtime series “Billions,” but he isn’t really known for drama in his professional life, just financial reporting. So it came as something of a surprise on Monday, when the CNBC and New York Times journalist got up on stage at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall to tout some of the dramatic fare that NBCUniversal was able to cobble together for the advertisers and media buyers assembled in the audience. It was all part of the industry’s annual “upfront,” when U.S. media companies try to sell the bulk of their advertising inventory before the release of their next cycle of programming.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Zachary Levi will star in the Christmas film “Teddy’s Christmas” as the voice of the main character Teddy. The film about a Teddy Bear and a little girl will have its U.S. theatrical release in time for this year’s holiday season, following its release in several European countries. Levi is best known for his portrayal of the superhero Shazam in “Shazam!” and “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” and for his voice actor role in Disney’s “Tangled.” “Teddy’s Christmas” will be released by Capelight Pictures and Blue Fox Entertainment in the U.S.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Berlin-based sales agency M-Appeal has released the trailer (below) for Swiss director Maxime Rappaz’s debut feature “Let Me Go,” which will open the Cannes ACID sidebar on Wednesday. Set in a remote town in the Swiss mountains, the film features French actress Jeanne Balibar in the lead role. She plays the character of Claudine, a mother who has devoted her life to taking care of her son, sacrificing her own needs and desires. An unexpected love affair causes Claudine’s carefully controlled world to unravel, “reviving in her an intense thirst for freedom and, at the same time, a painful questioning about her future,” Rappaz says.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Berlin-based sales agency M-Appeal has closed a deal for German distribution rights for “Let Me Go” with Alamode Film, ahead of the film’s world premiere as the opening film of Cannes ACID sidebar next week. “Let Me Go” (Laissez-Moi), the debut feature by Swiss director Maxime Rappaz, is set in a remote Swiss mountain village, where Claudine (Jeanne Balibar) lives a life dedicated to taking care of her son. Every Tuesday, however, she has an afternoon to herself and goes to a nearby hotel to meet men passing through. She pursues her desires in a carefully controlled way, so as not to interfere with her life, but when she meets Michael (Thomas Sarbacher) everything changes.

Jamie Foxx continues to recover from his hospitalization following an emergency «medical complication,» his friends, fans and co-stars are keeping him in their thoughts and prayers — including Natasha Blasick, who recently worked with Foxx on the movie.Blasick came out to show her support for the John Ritter Foundation’s 20th annual Fundraiser: An Evening From the Heart in Los Angeles on Thursday, and opened up to ET's Deidre Behar about Foxx's frightening health battle.«I was texting him, and just yesterday I talked to his friend, who's like really in touch with him. I was, like, really freaking out [with] all of the news that he's getting worse. So I was texting [his friend], and he's like, 'No, no, no, he's recovering.' So just hearing that he was recovering made me feel so much better.»«I'm just praying.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Russell Crowe will receive the Crystal Globe for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema at the 57th Karlovy Vary Film Festival (June 30-July 8). The Oscar winning actor will also deploy his musical talent with his band Indoor Garden Party, which will perform at the festival’s opening night concert. The festival also revealed Friday that Johnny Depp would appear in its trailer, which will have its premiere at the opening ceremony. Crowe, who was born in New Zealand but moved to Australia at an early age, began his acting career at the age of 6, working in TV and theater. In 1989, he started working in Australian films, with “The Crossing” (1990, dir. George Ogilvie), “Proof” (1991, dir. Jocelyn Moorhouse), and “Romper Stomper” (1992, dir. Geoffrey Wright). He won two Australian Academy Awards: supporting actor for “Proof” and best actor for “Romper Stomper.”

Jamie Foxx continues to recover from his hospitalization following an emergency «medical complication,» his friends, fans and co-stars are keep him in their thoughts and prayers — including Natasha Blasick, who recently worked with Foxx on a future project.Blasick came out to show her support for the John Ritter Foundation’s 20th Annual Fundraiser, An Evening From the Heart, in Los Angeles on Thursday, and opened up to ET's Deidre Behar about Foxx's frightening health battle.«I was texting him, and just yesterday I talked to his friend, who's like really in touch with him [because] I was like, really freaking out, all of the news that he's getting worse. So I was texting [his friend], and he's like, 'No, no, no, he's recovering.' So just hearing that he was recovering made me feel so much better.»«I'm just praying. And my friend yesterday reached out to me, and she's like, 'Let's pray together.' I mean, it's really crazy,» Blasick continued.

Homeland co-creator Howard Gordon will receive the 62nd Monte-Carlo Television Festival’s Honorary Golden Nymph, an award that honors renowned professionals for their extraordinary contributions to the entertainment and television industry.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor U.S. actor John C. Reilly will serve as president of the jury of the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes Film Festival. “Salem,” directed by Jean-Bernard Marlin, has been added to the lineup. The other members of the jury will be French director and screenwriter Alice Winocour, German actor Paula Beer, French-Cambodian director and producer Davy Chou, and Belgian actor Émilie Dequenne. The Un Certain Regard section showcases art and discovery films by young auteurs. In a statement, Reilly said: “I have had so many life changing moments at the Festival de Cannes (from my miraculous first trip with Paul Thomas Anderson to celebrating my 50th birthday from the Palais stage!) so to be chosen as the president of Un Certain Regard jury is truly such an incredible honor.”

Playtime has unveiled a strong Cannes film market sales slate, which includes competition titles “About Dry Grasses” and “Homecoming.” “About Dry Grasses” is by Turkish auteur Nuri Bilge Ceylan, who won the Palme d’Or in 2014 for “Winter Sleep.” The film follows Samet, a young art teacher, who is finishing his fourth year of compulsory service in a remote village in Anatolia. After a turn of events he can hardly make sense of, he loses his hopes of escaping the grim life he seems to be stuck in, and hopes that his encounter with fellow teacher Nuray will help him overcome his angst. Deniz Celiloğlu, Merve Dizdar and Musab Ekici are among the cast.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Munich-based sales agency Global Screen has acquired romantic drama “Falling Into Place” for worldwide theatrical distribution. The English-language film is written and directed by Aylin Tezel, one of Germany’s leading young actors, and stars Tezel (“7500”) and Chris Fulton (“Bridgerton”). The directorial debut is set in Scotland on the Isle of Skye and in London. It is an honest and poetic portrait of today’s 30-somethings caught between the fear of commitment and the desire for self-improvement. Like all great love stories, it is not just about the love between two individuals, but also about the dreams and anxieties of a whole generation.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer The new regime at Peacock has spent the past nine months preparing to take its baby bird to new heights. The number of big moves made by the NBCUniversal-owned streamer — from amping up its original content slate to livestream deals with Hallmark, Reelz and Big 10 college football to bringing NBC shows back into the fold for next-day viewing and eliminating its free tier for new users — is setting the stage for what executives hope will be a growth spurt in 2023. Peacock, which launched three years ago last month, will show of its brighter plumage Tuesday with its New Fronts presentation to advertisers. “It’s all coming together,” says Peacock president Kelly Campbell, who signed on in October 2021 after serving as president of Hulu. “We’re just seeing an increasing interest overall when it comes to inflow and engagement, and people are stickier than they were in the past.”

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large HBO Max’s “We’re Here,” Netflix’s “Mo” and Amazon Prime Video’s recently canceled “As We See It” are among the programs set to be recognized at the Television Academy’s 16th Television Academy Honors, the org announced Thursday morning. The Honors this year recognize “six remarkable television programs and producers who have harnessed the extraordinary power of storytelling to fuel social change.” Honorees that have been recognized include what the Academy calls representing “some of the most significant and impactful television of 2022.” The programs honored include “37 Words,” “As We See It,” “Mo,” “The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks,” “The U.S. and the Holocaust” and “We’re Here.”