Spain’s Peekaboo and GoldBee, Germany’s KiKA Win Tributes at Cartoon Forum

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Leading producer Sabina Arnold (“Irish Crime”) and award-winning filmmaker Züli Aladag (“NSU – German History X”) are setting up High Fidelity Pictures, a new production company under the Beta Group umbrella. Felix Zackor, managing director of the production service provider and Beta subsidiary FFP, will support the new company as a partner in production services. The filmmakers will produce high-quality fiction series and feature films with a national and international focus. High Fidelity will pay particular attention to the promotion of young talent.

Kyuss bassist Nick Oliveri has said that he wishes he and his former bandmates could tour under their previous band name.In 2012, Josh Homme filed a lawsuit against Kyuss Lives! – the reunited incarnation of the singer’s pre-Queens Of The Stone Age band – accusing them of “trademark infringement, misrepresentation [and] false designation”.Homme was the original guitarist in Kyuss until their split in 1995 but did not take part in the band’s 2011 reunion tour under the Kyuss Lives! moniker.A judge later ruled that vocalist John Garcia and drummer Brant Bjork could not release music under Kyuss Lives!, adding that future live shows under that name “might continue to subject them to liability for trademark infringement”.Now, Oliveri has said he wishes that the former band members could still do gigs under the name.Speaking in an interview with Spanish site GoetiaMedia at June’s Hellfest in Clisson, France, Oliveri reflected on the legal dispute. “It’s one of those things.

Coolio is to be remembered by his singer friend Haddaway at a tribute concert. The 59-year-old rapper passed away on Wednesday (28. 09.

Ben Croll Of the 80 projects that presented at last week’s Cartoon Forum in Toulouse, no pitch attracted greater (proportional) buyer curiosity than “Tiger and Bear.” Produced by Germany’s Wolkenlenker and adapted from a beloved children’s series from author and illustrator Janosch, the upper-preschool project saw nearly 60% buyer attendance at its Tuesday pitch and fielded effusive feedback from American, British, and Scandinavian broadcasters in the days that followed – with many keying to the project’s laid-back tenor. Following that Cartoon Forum launch, Wolkenlenker shared this first look with Variety.   

Anna Marie de la Fuente Continuing to tap top series from Spain, Munich-based Beta Film has snapped up international distribution rights to “Simple,” the new dramedy by Anna R. Costa, the co-creator of Movistar Plus+‘s most-binged series, “Arde Madrid.” Costa’s directorial debut, “Simple” world premiered earlier this week in San Sebastian as a Movistar Plus+ world premiere. Produced by Movistar Plus+ in collaboration with Destrucción y Salvación, “Simple” turns on four young women in their twenties and thirties, who have reached a milestone in their lives: Sharing an apartment as truly independent adults. The series follows the flat mates, all of whom have disabilities, as they navigate the pressures of adulthood and the absurd norms imposed on them by society.

England are gearing up to take on Italy in the Nations League on Friday and Gareth Southgate's troops will be hoping the avenge their humiliating 4-0 defeat to Hungary in the previous Group A3 clash. The Three Lions sit at the foot of the table in the group that consists of Hungary, Germany and Italy.

Emiliano De Pablos Portuguse public broadcaster RTP has taken an undisclosed co-production stake in animated series “My Brother Is a T-Rez,” a Spanish-Portuguese project created and directed by Spaniard Javi Peces (“Bento”). Executive produced by Celine Fernandes at Portuguese animation house Lusco Fusco Animation in co-production with Madrid-based Mr. Klaus Studio, “My Brother” is an upper pre-school series project aimed to promote adventure, educational and sustainability values. The project was previously pre-bought by Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE for its children-oriented channel Clan TV.

Emiliano De Pablos As part of its objective of building into a key industry hub in the European animation and VFX landscape, Spain’s Madrid will host for the first time an edition of renowned training event Cartoon Springboard, which will run Oct. 25-27. 24 animated series and feature film projects by young European talents will be presented at the meeting, where a panel of experts will mentor the selected writers, directors, and producers with the aim of strengthening their projects both creatively and financially.  Organised by Cartoon, the training event reaches Madrid, after having been previously held in the cities of Valencia, Valenciennes and Halle. 

Ben Croll Coming on the heels of their pitch at Cartoon Forum in Toulouse, Norway’s Den Siste Skilling and Germany’s Knudsen Pictures have shared with Variety a first-look at their upcoming project “Cocobanana.” Created by screenwriter Rolf-Magne Golten Andersen (“Headhunters”) and directed Markus and Tommy Vad Flaaden (“Space Chickens in Space”), the comedic children’s series follows a school-age whizz-kid whose madcap inventions don’t always work out as they’re supposed to. While the produce-aisle handyman only wants to make life easier for his coconut dad, banana mom and baby sis, sometimes chaos — and his own imagination — gets the better of him.

Emiliano De Pablos Eight animated TV series projects involving Spanish companies will be presented to buyers and producers attending 2022 Cartoon Forum’s pitching sessions, the event’s main attraction.  Among well-known production companies presenting their latest cartoon shows figure In Efecto Atlantis, the Spanish-French studio behind Disney’s series “Tara Duncan;”Sygnatia, the producer of multi-award winning animated film “Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles,” and Peekaboo Animation, creator of world sales hit series “I, Elvis Riboldi.”  Two of the Spanish projects selected (“My Brother is a T-Rez” and “Polka Dot Zebra”) target preschoolers; five titles (“Bertie’s Brainwaves,” “Best Friends Forever… Stranded!,” “Mervyn’s Album,” “The Little Orchestra” and “Zoey Oceans”) are intended for older children; “Firsts” aims for family audiences.

Saoirse Monica Jackson has paid tribute to her 'handsome fella' Denis Sulta after finishing his summer shows.

JD Linville In the thriller series “Euer Ehren,” a German-Austrian adaptation of the Israeli series “Your Honor” (“Kvodo”), Sebastian Koch (“The Lives of Others,” “Homeland”) plays Michael Jacobi, a judge caught up in his own web of deception as he struggles to protect his son. The project was brought to Koch by Al Munteanu, producer and founder of SquareOne Entertainment, and the pair worked together to bring the project to screen. Munteanu and Koch have proved a convincing combo, winning the interest of producer Christoph Pellander at ARD Degeto. “‘Euer Ehren’ is thrilling entertainment at its best,” said Pellander. “The script producer Al Munteanu and leading actor Sebastian Koch have electrified us from the first moment; hence we absolutely wanted to produce the thriller series collectively. In our version, co-produced with ORF and produced by SquareOne Productions and Mona Film, we shifted the story to Austria to bring it closer to our viewers’ environment and thereby managed to produce something truly unique.”

Savannah Guthrie, as soon after her in-studio reunion with her co-stars, she was forced to jet off in the wake of tragedy.MORE: Savannah Guthrie marks end of an era as she waves goodbye to the summer breakThe Today star departed from her New York studio setting to do some on-the-ground reporting in London after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.VIDEO: Savannah Guthrie rivals her Today co-stars during game show segmentShe has been sharing several snippets from her trip there, highlighting the beauty of Buckingham Palace while also depicting  the sadness that came with the moment.Soon after the announcement was made, the star left for the United Kingdom and began her coverage live on Friday.MORE: Savannah Guthrie's tribute to late father through son CharleyShe shared news that she would be there to cover the news and provide Stateside viewers with intimate details on the following procedures and the eventual funeral."Honored to be in London this morning on a momentous occasion.

Holly Jones Spain’s Bendita Films (“The Clash”) has scooped international sales rights to twisted and suspenseful production “The Uncle” (“Stric”) ahead of its market screening at the Toronto Festival. “We’re thrilled to represent the brilliant debut feature from David Kapac and Andrija Mardešić, a captivating, oppressive thriller with humorous notes that will surely surprise international audiences with its unsettling atmosphere and inventive narrative structure,” stated Luis Renart, CEO-sales & acquisitions at Bendita Films. Written and directed in tandem by Kapac and Mardešić, the project garnered a special jury mention in July at the Proxima strand which has replaced East of the West at the Karlovy Vary Festival. It marks the first feature effort for the Croatian duo who’ve previously paired to create several festival-showcased short films, including post-war noir comedy “Iris.”