Shining A Light On TV In Central & Eastern Europe And Beyond: NEM Dubrovnik Sets Out Its Stall

BBC Studios is working on big production and coproduction moves in Central and Eastern Europe as part of a long-term plan have a much deeper presence in the region. Bartosz Witak, General Manager for BBC Studios in CEE, was speaking at NEM Dubrovnik. He said that a push into production is part of wider plans to bolster BBC Studios’ business in Central and Eastern Europe with new strategic partnerships: “It can be considered a new chapter for us,” he told the NEM crowd.

Sporting Clube de Portugal star Morten Hjulmand says it is a goal of his play in the Premier League in the near future.

Addie Morfoot Contributor “La Cocina,” the Rooney Mara-starring drama that premiered at the 2024 Berlinale, is among four feature films that will screen at the inaugural Croatian International Film Festival beginning Aug. 8. The four-day event, set in the coastal city of Sibenik, will also feature 18 documentary and narrative shorts, giving the struggling independent film market an additional international venue to screen movies and launch careers.

Snow has fallen in Scotland in a complete weather transformation just two days after glorious sunshine hit the country over the weekend.

ABBA reunited for an appearance at a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, where they were given the Royal Vasa Order, a Swedish knighthood.All four members – Bjorn Ulvaeus, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Faltskog and Benny Andersson – were in attendance last Friday (May 31) at the country’s Royal Palace, accepting the honour from King Carl XVI Gustaf for their “very distinguished contributions within Swedish and international music life.”Per The Associated Press, the Royal Vasa Order is one of the most prestigious knighthoods in the country, and it was handed out for the first time in almost 50 years.The knighthoods were awarded during a solemn ceremony at the Royal Palace’s Vita Havet Assembly Rooms. The monarch handed them the order in a red box while a diploma was given to them by Queen Silvia.”The order you get today is Sweden’s thanks for your exceptional efforts,” the monarch said, as reported by The Associated Press.ABBA have not performed live together since 1982, although they have made sporadic public appearances together – including the unveiling of their ABBA Voyage show in 2022.Last Monday (May 27), Ulvaeus and Andersson participated in a Q&A session on a night that celebrated the second anniversary of ABBA Voyage.The two ABBA members entertained the idea of the Voyage live band performing at Glastonbury.

Eminem is back with new music, and he’s taking a cheap shot at Megan Thee Stallion.

Download Festival booker Andy Copping has revealed that a “big band” will perform a surprise set at this year’s edition of the fest.Copping recently hosted an hour-long show on Planet Rock called Andy Copping’s Secrets of Download during the bank holiday (May 27). While on air, he opened up about the most iconic moments of Download Festival and reflected on Metallica’s surprise set at the first edition of the festival in 2003.“In some years we’ve had some secret sets from different bands – Enter Shikari, Black Stone Cherry, Bullet For My Valentine.

EXCLUSIVE: Growing specialty distributor 3388 Films has acquired rights to Vietnamese smash Face Off 7: One Wish, and has set the weekend of June 14 to launch in numerous markets, including the U.S., Canada and the UK.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Rolling off the Cannes Film Festival where it won several awards, Mohammad Rasoulof‘s “The Seed of The Sacred Fig” has been acquired by a flurry of high profile distributors in major international territories. Films Boutique, which represents the critically acclaimed political drama globally, has sold it to Lionsgate for the U.K.

Fly and flop getaways are all well and good, but if you want to burn off some of that breakfast buffet – and really explore the area you’re staying in – then a specialist walking holiday might be for you. With something for all fitness levels, these organised trips either involve staying at one hotel, which you set out from on foot every day, or moving between locations, with your luggage transported so it’s waiting for you at your next accommodation.

Alissa Simon Film Critic The intimate and naturalistic Mandarin-language drama “Blue Sun Palace” has nabbed the French Touch prize from the Cannes Critics’ Week jury, putting Chinese-American writer-director Constance Tsang on the map as a talent to watch after her feature debut. Certain to see future festival action, the drama about three working-class Chinese immigrants in Flushing, NY, the film succeeds with touching performances from Ke-Xi Wu (“Nina Wu”), Lee Kang Sheng (Tsai Ming Liang’s iconic actor) and Haixpeng Xu (“Where Echoes Never End”) that could tempt distributors in the coming months.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Swedish director Ruben Östlund, who won Cannes Film Festival‘s Palme d’Or for “The Square” and “Triangle of Sadness,” was among the guests at the German Films and Medienboard Reception on May 18 in the garden of the Mondrian Hotel in Cannes. Östlund, who is in the Riviera resort to promote his latest production, “The Entertainment System Is Down,” was accompanied by Philippe Bober of Coproduction Office, one of the film’s producers, and Erik Hemmendorf of Plattform Produktion, Östlund’s Swedish producer. (They are pictured above.) German Films, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, was represented at the event by managing director Simone Baumann, and Medienboard, which is a film fund for the Berlin-Brandenburg region, was represented by its CEO Kirsten Niehuus.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Rolling off its buzzy world premiere at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, Oscar-nominated Icelandic filmmaker Rúnar Rúnarsson’s poignant drama “When The Light Breaks” has sold to a raft of territories. Represented in international markets by The Party Film Sales, the movie has been picked up for Italy (Movies Inspired), Switzerland (Xenix), Norway (Arthaus), Denmark (Ost for Paradis), Finland (Cinemanse), Hungary (Vertigo), Greece (Cinobo), Israel (New Cinema), Poland (Aurora), Turkey (Bir Film) and Baltics (Estofilm).

After weeks of deciding and enlisting help from fans, Peter Andre and his wife Emily MacDonagh announced that their baby girl - who arrived on April 2 - finally had a name. They revealed that the adorable newborn is called Arabella Rose - but seven weeks on and the Mysterious Girl singer has admitted he calls the tot something entirely different. In fact, he's even yet to call her Arabella at all! In his weekly column, the star also opened up on Princess' latest career venture, Ant McPartlin becoming a dad for the first time and his thoughts on King Charles' first official portrait...

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Berlin-based sales agency Films Boutique has closed the first international sales for Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” ahead of its world premiere on Friday in the Competition section of the Cannes Film Festival. The film has been acquired in Italy by BiM Distribuzione and Lucky Red, Benelux by September Film Distribution, Spain by Bteam Pictures, Greece by Ama Films, Hungary by Cirko Film, Norway by Selmer Media, Portugal by Leopardo Filmes, Taiwan by Hooray Films and Turkey by Bir Film.

EXCLUSIVE: Vue founder and CEO Tim Richards caused a stir last month with an intriguing appearance in front of the UK Parliament’s British Film & High-End TV Inquiry. 

Imagine a workplace where employees have a stake in the company's success, where decisions are made collectively, and where the bottom line is shared more equally.

Annika Pham Scandinavia’s top sales agent TrustNordisk has scored major deals on the English-language epic “Stockholm Bloodbath” by Oscar-nominated Mikael Håfström (‘Evil”), which has sold to Brainstorm Media and Sunrise Films for the US and Canada, The Jokers for France and Divisa Red for Spain. The Claes Bang-vehicle, produced by Helena Danielsson for Viaplay Studios Sweden, is due to screen at the Cannes Market May 18, in a new international version.

Annika Pham Paris-based The Party Film Sales and Heather Millard of Iceland’s Compass Films have reunited with “When the Light Breaks” Rúnar Rúnarsson on his next poetic filmic venture ‘O’. The Icelandic film “When the Light Breaks” is due to open Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section May 15.Headlining Iceland’s major international star Ingvar E.

Major Indian distribution platform Tata Play will collaborate with Amazon Prime to offer Tata Play Direct-to-Home (DTH) and Tata Play Binge customers access to Prime Video’s content.