Britney Spears‘ latest post on social media highlights her skills with languages.
19.05.2023 - 09:57 / variety.com
Callum McLennan In the lead-up to Cannes, Spanish film sales continue to show resilience despite shifting market trends and global challenges. The market signals suggest an enduring preference for genre movies and high-concept films, while the sale of arthouse fare remains tough. Antonio Saura, director general of Latido Films, tells Variety, “The trends we are seeing confirm the trends we identified last year — movies with a strong concept, genre in general, generate interest, [whereas] drama and ‘art house’ is more complicated and requires a different type of attention and positioning.” While there are signs of interest for movies with top talent attached, smaller films without a significant festival presence face an uphill battle.
This trend is underscored by the Spanish films selected for Cannes, which range from Benito Zambrano’s “Jumping the Fence” and Roya Sadat’s “Sima’s Song,” to Pau Calpe’s “Werewolf.” These films, part of the Spanish Screenings Goes to Cannes section, exemplify the diversity and adaptability of Spanish cinema. This market gravitation towards films that can entertain reflects the economic uncertainties and shifting tastes still influenced by slow rebound by the box office after the height of the global pandemic. The success of streaming plat- forms during COVID lockdowns has indelibly marked audience preferences, making it tougher for niche titles to find traction. Saura articulates the continuing challenge sales agents face: “Great, beautiful fantastically crafted arthouse dramas are having difficulties in the market, that is a fact. Nowadays you need a certain ‘extra’ to convince buyers: the ‘I love your movie, but I don’t see how I could convince my audience to watch it,’ happens more
Britney Spears‘ latest post on social media highlights her skills with languages.
Shakira is fueling Lewis Hamilton romance rumours, after the Colombian superstar was spotted watching the race car driver participating in the F1 Spanish Grand Prix.
Amber Heard has confirmed she’s moved to Madrid in her first Spanish-speaking interview since her very public legal battle with ex-husband Johnny Depp.
Amber Heard recently gave what's believed to be her first interview since moving to Europe, and she did so speaking flawlessly in Spanish.In a TikTok video uploaded last month, the 37-year-old actress is being interviewed in Madrid, Spain, where she moved not long after her high-profile legal battle with Johnny Depp in 2022. Heard appears to be coming home dressed casually in a loose long-sleeve black shirt tucked into her pants.In the video, apparently taken by the real estate firm Nest Seekers International, a man can be heard asking her in Spanish, «How is your new life here in Madrid?» to which she responds in perfect Spanish with, «I love Spain, so much.»The man then asks, «Are you going to stay here?» and she responds, «Yes, I hope so.
It seems like everyone is doing the more than one wedding thing at the moment. From Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker getting married three times last year to Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck tying the knot twice, Made in Chelsea stars Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo also jumped in on the action following their two recent weddings. In case you missed it, the NearlyWeds podcast hosts first got hitched at the Chelsea registry office on the 14th April.
Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor CNN will shift the bulk of its operations behind its Spanish-language efforts to Mexico City, scaling back production of content for linear television in favor of work aimed at reaching a younger audience that favors mobile video. The move is likely to mean the elimination of jobs in Miami and Atlanta, but will also result in a ramp-up of jobs in Mexico and Los Angeles, where CNN will aim to add more than staffers, according to a person familiar with the plans, which were disclosed to employees Thursday afternoon. CNN CEO Chris Licht had nodded to the future of the Spanish-language network in November at a town-hall meeting. At issue is how to maintain outreach to Spanish-speaking viewers at a time when the economics of big media companies are under intense scrutiny. CNN and its corporate parent, Warner Bros. Discovery, have already cut operations, but the question of how to keep CNN en Espanol under such conditions has been under debate for some time. In the past, discussions had been underway to shut down the cable network, which has only limited distribution of around nine million in the United States.
Ed Meza @edmezavar AMC Networks Intl. Latin America has acquired RTVE hit, Spanish-Portuguese thriller “Sequía,” which will be broadcast throughout the region on its Europa Europa channel. The story centers on the mystery behind two mummified corpses – apparent murder victims — that are discovered when a long submerged village emerges from the drying Campomediano reservoir along the Spanish-Portuguese border during a prolonged drought (“sequía” in Spanish). While a Spanish inspector and investigative reporter suspect the bodies may be linked to environmental protests that took place to prevent the creation of the reservoir, a Portuguese detective is secretly investigating the possibility that one of the deceased could be the heir to the Souza Cardoso fortune who disappeared years ago.
Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Revered Spanish auteur Victor Erice has penned an angry open letter in newspaper El Pais claiming the Cannes Film Festival behaved underhandedly during the selection process resulting in his new work “Close Your Eyes” being relegated to the relatively low-profile Cannes Premiere section. “Close Your Eyes,” which marks Erice’s return to feature film direction 30 years after his Cannes Jury Prize winner “Dream of Light,” premiered on Tuesday in Cannes with the director notably absent. The film turns on a famed actor who disappears while making a film. Although his body is never found, the police conclude that he’s been the victim of an accident by the sea. Many years later, the mystery surrounding his disappearance is brought back into the spotlight when a TV program airs the beginning and the end of the movie directed by his close friend.
Spanish director Victor Erice, who was absent from the Cannes Film Festival premiere of his film Close Your Eyes, has posted an open letter criticizing festival Delegate General Thierry Frémaux over his handling of the selection of his film and explaining his decision not to attend.
Kaouther Ben Hania’s powerful drama “Four Daughters” which mixes documentary and fiction to tell the story of Tunisian mother whose two elder daughters joined ISIS is scoring a slew of sales following its well-received Cannes competition premiere. French company The Party Films Sales has sealed deals on “Four Daughters” for: Benelux (Cineart); Spain (Caramel Films); Italy (I Wonder); Switzerland (Trigon); Sweden (Triart); Denmark (Camera Film); Norway (Arthaus); Finland (Cinemanse); Poland (New Horizons); Greece (Ama Films); former Yougoslavia (Discovery) and Turkey (Bir Film). Rights to the film for multiple other territories are under negotiations, the company said.
The Made in Chelsea couple Sophie Habboo and Jamie Laing said 'I do' for the second time at their lavish wedding ceremony in Spain last week and with it came a hefty price tag. And it's been no secret that Sophie's parents, Sarah Wigley and Patrique Habboo forked out for the lavish wedding in Marbella after Jamie revealed in an interview that his fiancé’s parents would kindly be footing the bill. While speaking to Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett on the weekly podcast, Dish, Jamie said: "I want the big wedding.
Ed Meza @edmezavar Paris-based sales boutique Alpha Violet has acquired Spanish filmmaker Victor Iriarte’s directorial debut, “Foremost by Night” (“Sobre Todo de Noche”). Described as a noir story with a political background, “Foremost by Night” revolves around two women who meet for the first time, one who was forced to give up her newborn child for adoption when she was young, the other who, unable to bare children of her own, adopted a child she raised as her own. The film, which stars Ana Torrent (“There Be Dragons,” “The Other Boleyn Girl”), Lola Dueñas (“Me Too,” “Volver”) and Manuel Egozkue, was among this year’s winners at the Malaga Film Festival’s Work in Progress awards, where it secured the Latido Films distribution prize and the Aracne Digital Cinema award for post production services.
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.
Made In Chelsea fans were quick to spot Spencer Matthews’ sweet gesture as he carried Sophie Habboo’s wedding veil at her and Jamie Laing’s Spanish wedding over the weekend. Spencer was absent from best friend Jamie’s first wedding in Chelsea following some miscommunication between the two but, putting any awkwardness aside, Spencer was in attendance for their Spanish nuptials and even acted as master of ceremonies. Sophie, 29, and Jamie, 34, have since shared some sweet photographs and videos of their big day to their Nearly Weds podcast Instagram page and, in one video of the happy couple, Spencer, 34, could be carrying Sophie’s beautiful veil for her.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “In Our Day,” the film by South Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo which closes the Directors’ Fortnight section of the Cannes film festival, has seen distributors in multiple territories move early to strike rights deals. French rights were picked up by Capricci), Spanish rights by L’Atalante Cinema and Greek rights by Ama Films. The film has its official premiere on May 25. Seoul-based Finecut has long been the sales agent for Hong’s plentiful output. In addition to the deals on “In Our Day,” Finecut signed agreements with L’Atalante, with France’s Ariona Films and Taiwan’s Cola Films for “In Water,” Hong’s first film of 2023 which premiered in the Encounters section in Berlin in February. The film was previously sold to Cinema Guild for North America.
Sophie Habboo, officially Mrs Laing, looked stunning as she said 'I do' to husband Jamie Laing for the second time on Saturday, 20 May. The Made in Chelsea couple had their more extravagant wedding ceremony at the luxurious Marbella Club on Saturday 20 May surrounded by around 200 guests after officially tying the knot at an intimate ceremony back in London last month. The bride, who wore a short satin Vivienne Westwood dress for the London ceremony, opted for a completely different, yet gorgeous, look for the Spanish do.
Ben Croll A veteran of Pixar, Blue Sky, and DreamWorks Animation, Spanish creative Rodrigo Blaas brought two decades of Hollywood experience to Madrid when he co-founded his own studio, El Guiri. And so, when Hollywood came knocking, Blaas answered with a bit of Spanish flair. “Some opportunities put you in a place to embrace the unknown,” Blaas says. “I saw it myself, watching Brad Bird come into Pixar and kind of break the system there. That’s what I wanted to do; I wanted to come up with something that could break the mold.” That something is “Sith,” a 14-minute short, commissioned by Lucasfilm to serve as Season 2 opener for the anthology series “Star Wars: Visions.” Written and directed by Blaas, and developed and produced fully in-house at El Guiri, the lauded short premiered earlier this month on Disney+ and will screen as part of a Spanish animation showcase at the Cannes Film Festival.
Sophie Habboo looked every inch the bride-to-be on Saturday as she wore a white dressing gown just hours ahead of her second wedding to Jamie Laing in Spain.The reality star, 29, and Jamie, 34, first tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in Chelsea last month and our preparing to marry again this weekend in a bigger ceremony in Spain. And ahead of the nuptials, Sophie's pal, Georgie Le Roux, took to Instagram to share a sneak peek of how the morning preparations were going. Posting a snap of Sophie wearing a bridal white dressing gown, Georgie penned: "Wedding morning" while tagging Sophie in the post.
Leo Barraclough International Features Editor London- and Paris-based production, finance and sales company Film Constellation is launching sales on the remake rights of Spanish thriller “Fatum.” Directed by Juan Gualinanes and produced by Vaca Films, the outfit behind box office successes “Sky High” and “Cell 211,” “Fatum” was released in Spain by Universal Studios on April 28. Film Constellation has already reported sales to 50 territories on the original Spanish version. A compulsive gambler and an elite sniper’s destinies meet on a fateful day when the local betting house gets robbed. When a single gunshot is fired, the next 24 hours will set them on a race against time that will define their lives forever.
A Scots finance worker was found dead in a Spanish villa next to his unconscious wife after a broken fridge caused a carbon monoxide leak. Jaime Carsi, 40, tragically lost his life while on holiday with Mary Somerville in Majorca on Saturday, May 6.