RTVE Revolution: Spain’s Public Broadcaster Plows Into Bolder Co-Production & Pick-Ups Leveraging its VOD Service

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent São Paulo’s Biônica Filmes, behind Carolina Markowicz’s Toronto hit “Charcoal” and her upcoming “Toll,” is driving into English-language production, backing “The Eyes of Another,” from Maria Arida, as Biônica taps into an exciting new generation of young women filmmakers in Brazil. “Eyes” marks the feature debut from Arida, currently based out of São Paulo, who drew attention with “Instinct,” her AFI thesis film, a 17-minute short which world premiered at London’s BFI Flare, then had its U.S. premiere at the Phoenix Film Festival where it won the award for best Latin American short. It is written by Liz Buda (“Getting Meisnered”). 

A multi award-winning independent travel agency with high street branches in both Kilwinning and Largs has been crowned the best small travel agency in Scotland.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Rome’s iconic monuments are getting lots of mileage in Hollywood movies this summer. Since May, the Eternal City has hosted the world premieres of “Fast X” and “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One,” two blockbusters that burned rubber and wreaked havoc on its cobblestoned streets. Universal held its “Fast X” red carpet in the Roman Forum’s Temple of Venus, with the Colosseum as a backdrop, in early May. Weeks later, Paramount descended for the June premiere of “M:I 7,” with Tom Cruise prancing down the same Spanish Steps that serve as the setting for spectacular car chases in both movies.

A remarkable artist living an off-grid life in her campervan is using her illustrations to encourage others to respect the ocean and campaign for a cleaner planet. Jasmine Hortop, a 32-year-old illustrator embarked on a nomadic lifestyle, travelling across the UK with her rescue dog, Darla, in the campervan that she and her father built during the Covid lockdowns.

Callum McLennan Santa Cruz de Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands will set the stage for a conference on European video game policy and virtual environments on July 12-13. The move acknowledges the Islands’ growing status as a hub for digital arts and video games and, alongside economic benefits, a growing recognition of the sector’s cultural influence and its potential for greater integration within a broader creative and cultural ecosystem including film and TV. This year saw a video-game-based feature, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” punch for the first time ever over $1 billion at the global box office, grossing $1.35 billion worldwide, making it the biggest movie hit of 2023. Based on the video game, HBO’s “The Last of Us” became one of the service’s most critically lauded series of the last decade, while breaking HBO Max viewership records in Europe.  

The threat of rain and grey skies above hasn't dampened the spirits of festival goers who have turned up in their droves for day one of TRNSMT festival.

Gogglebox stars Dave and Shirley were quick to put down claims Shirley looked “ill” as they enjoyed a holiday in Spain. The beloved couple, who have amassed an army of fans since joining the cast of the nation’s favourite couch potatoes, shared a selfie from sunny Salou and simply captioned the post: “Happy holidays everyone cheers #salou xxx”. In the sweet snap, the couple smile at the camera against the backdrop of a sandy beach and blue sky, as Shirley holds a glass slightly raised.

EXCLUSIVE: A documentary now in production will examine the UPS workforce and its union, even as the package shipping company faces the possibility of a strike that could impact the entire U.S. economy.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Manta, one of the leading platforms for subscription-based digital comics, has unveiled plans to launch more than ten original cartoon series through the third quarter of 2023. The company, which is owned by Korea’s RIDI Corporation, launched in 2020 and has become the number one comics app on Google Play in certain territories including the U.S., Mexico and Spain.Webtoons are a made for mobile genre of comics, that have become yet another Asian entertainment category that is having fast-growing international success. Many webtoons offer vertical scrolling, opportunities for new creators and content that is immediately available in multiple languages.

Will Tizard Contributor Major international productions have been bypassing the Czech Republic for the past year — but local producers and lawmakers have a plan to win such players back, they announced at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival this week. The Czech incentives system essentially shut down in 2022 after major productions used up the $62.7 million annual cash-back rebate funds available — or so said the officials overseeing the program. The Czech Republic has offered competitive 20% rebates — with a $6.8 million cap per project — as incentives for major productions for a decade now. The system has been heralded as the key to staying competitive in a part of Europe that’s highly in demand for big-budget shoots by the likes of Amazon, Netflix and the Hollywood majors.

A federal judge in Louisiana has issued a ruling that restricts parts of the Biden administration from communicating with social media companies on “protected speech.”

Atresplayer, which ambitiously re-launches July 5.  Just until a few years ago, European TV giants treated their streaming operations to bedrock linear lineups. Those days have gone. At Annecy, BBC and France Télévisions were talking up their streaming services as their future. ITV and Germany’s RTL are bowing their biggest plays on OTT operations, ITVX and RTL+, respectively, powering up strong subscriptions’ hikes.  Belgium’s VRT currently estimates “almost a 50/50 split” in its acquisitions budget as it focusing on “finding unique series that viewers wouldn’t expect from a public broadcaster for its streaming service,” Sven Van Lokeren, head of international fiction series acquisition at Belgium’s VRT told Variety at February’s London TV Screenings. 

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” is stumbling in its box office debut, generating $70 million internationally and $130 million globally to start. Those ticket sales wouldn’t be bad for a film aimed at older audiences, except for the fact that Disney and Lucasfilm spent $295 million before marketing to bring the fifth and final action-adventure, starring Harrison Ford, to the big screen. “Dial of Destiny” is posting similar numbers to Warner Bros. and DC’s misfire “The Flash,” which opened to $75 million internationally and $139 million globally but cost $100 million less to make. Both tentpoles are expected to lose money in their theatrical runs.

Marta Balaga Spanish actress Itsaso Arana proves that “Girls Are Alright” with her directorial debut, vying for the Crystal Globe at Karlovy Vary Film Festival. Known to the festival’s audience thanks to Jonás Trueba’s “August Virgin,” which she also co-wrote, she is currently readying their next project, set to shoot in the autumn. “That experience, as well as his other films I starred in, have been profoundly significant in my life. Jonás is a great inspiration,” says Arana. But after years of collaborations, however satisfying, she is ready to venture out on her own.

EXCLUSIVE: As the 57th edition of the Czech Republic’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) kicks off Friday, there will be renewed interest in the central European country’s local industry, particularly the curious case surrounding its incentive program for international productions.

Streamers such as Hulu, Disney+ and Max have made headlines for their decision to cancel shows and subsequently remove them from their services.

EL 47, the latest feature from Spanish production powerhouse Mediapro Studio, is kicking into gear with cameras set to roll on the pic in Barcelona in the coming days.

Tenoch Huerta will no longer star in Netflix’s Fiesta en la Madriguera in light of his sexual misconduct scandal.

Tenoch Huerta, who gained mainstream fame last year playing Namor in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”, is exiting production on the forthcoming Netflix film, “Fiesta en la Madriguera”, amid allegations of sexual assault.

Tenoch Huerta, who gained mainstream fame last year playing Namor in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, is exiting production on the forthcoming Netflix film, , amid allegations of sexual assault.Huerta announced the news of his departure in a statement to on Wednesday.«Given the impact of the recent false statements by María Elena Ríos and the damage they have caused, I have no choice but to withdraw from participating in the film ,» Huerta claimed in his statement. «It is with great sadness that I do this, but I cannot allow her actions to harm not only me, but also the work of dozens of talented and hard-working people involved in the project.»«My focus now is simple: continue the process of restoring my reputation,» Huerta concluded.Netflix first announced the project in May, with director Manolo Caro helming production on a screenplay from Oscar-winning scribe Nicolás Giacobone.On June 10, musician María Elena Ríos accused Huerta of being a «sexual predator» — a claim he denied and said was a «false and completely unsubstantiated accusation.»Ríos leveled her allegations on Twitter, writing in Spanish, «It's very difficult to talk about the emotional abuse and the abuse of power of a sexual predator who is loved around the world for playing a character in a movie such as Tenoch Huerta.»«Charming in appearance, the great hallmark of a narcissist + a good helping of victimization,» she added of Huerta, who is also known for his roles in and As for why she didn't report the alleged assault, Ríos explained, «They say those who live in a macho country, where justice is unattainable, where they almost kill you — and even still they don't believe you and justice isn't served.