Spy Drama ‘Davos,’ With ‘Sisi’ Star Dominique Devenport, David Kross, Launches at MipTV (EXCLUSIVE)

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Picture Tree Intl. has come on board to handle the international sales of black comedy “Shooting Blanks,” written and directed by Žiga Virc (“Houston, We Have a Problem!”). The Slovenian film looks at what happens when a family goes to war with itself. The film is in post-production. PTI will present a first private market screening at the Marché du Film in Cannes. Vida’s father France worships his father, a hero of the partisan resistance. When a German supermarket chain decides to build a new store in his hometown, demolishing a statue of his father in the process, France declares war on this new “enemy.”

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.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Paul Sng’s “Tish,” an intimate portrait of British documentary photographer Tish Murtha, will open the 30th edition of Sheffield DocFest on June 14. Iranian filmmaker Rakhshan Bani-Etemad will be the guest of honor. In his film, Sng – whose work includes “Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché” and “Dispossession” – both celebrates the vision and humanism of a gifted artist, and follows Murtha’s daughter Ella as she fights to preserve her mother’s legacy. “’Tish’ is a powerful tribute to a vital artist, activist and social chronicler, and a rallying call to all whose engagement with art questions who gets seen and heard, who doesn’t, and why,” the festival said in a statement. “This is a story of contemporary Britain, of the fight for culture, as well as the life of a mother and activist.”

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Berlin sales agency M-Appeal has come on board to handle world sales for “Let Me Go” (“Laissez-Moi”), the debut feature by Swiss director Maxime Rappaz, which will world premiere as the opening film of the Cannes ACID sidebar. Set in a Swiss mountain village, “Let Me Go” follows Claudine, a dedicated mother whose life revolves around her son. Every Tuesday, according to her careful schedule, she goes to a nearby mountain hotel to meet men who are passing through. When she meets Michael and he decides to extend his stay for her, Claudine is confused and finds herself dreaming of another life.  French actress Jeanne Balibar stars in the lead role of Claudine, an elegant woman in her early 50s, who, although living a traditional life, pursues her desires in an unconventional way. She unexpectedly finds a romantic connection with Michael (Thomas Sarbacher).

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Berlin-based sales agent M-Appeal has come on board to sell “Power Alley,” the debut film by Brazilian filmmaker Lillah Halla, which will world premiere in Cannes’ Critics’ Week, it was announced Tuesday. Set in Brazil, where abortion is illegal, “Power Alley” is a suspense-filled drama tackling one of society’s most divisive issues. The story follows star volleyball player Sofia who is faced with an impossible scenario on the eve of her championship game. Pregnant and panicked, Sofia seeks an illegal abortion but unwittingly becomes a target instead. As the town’s herd-mentality turns violent, Sofia risks being consumed by the fervor – but neither Sofia nor those who love her are willing to surrender.

The team behind hit Netflix drama Beef have gone on record to respond to the controversy surrounding comments made by the show’s co-star David Choe.

EXCLUSIVE: Will Yun Lee (The Good Doctor) has signed on to star alongside Oliver Masucci, Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bisset in the pandemic-set psychological drama Shelter Me, marking the directorial debut of actor Jake Weber.

Charna Flam London’s West End smash hit “Death Drop” is headed across the pond. The killer comedy drag show, starring some of the most famous drag queens, is coming to New York this summer. “Death Drop,” is set to begin its off-broadway previews on June 30, followed by opening night on July 13 at New World Stages. The show stars “RuPaul’s Drag Race’s” Jujubee as Summer Raines, Willam as Shazza and Shuga Cain as Lady Rosebud von Fistenberg. Joining the “Drag Race” alum include Peachez Iman Cummings (“Worst Cooks in America”) as Morgan Pierce, Wang Newton (“Sacred Wounds”) as Phil Maker and the “Death Drop” writer Holly Stars as the Bottomly Sisters. Kiki Ball-Change will serve as an understudy. Additional casting will be announced soon.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor At MipTV on Tuesday, the senior management of new public broadcaster TVMonaco revealed further details about the channel, which will launch on Sept. 1. The channel executives present at the event at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes included its CEO Salim Zeghdar, deputy CEO Nathalie Biancolli, Marie-Pierre Gramaglia, president, and Virginie Lavagna, general secretary. The channel will be 100% owned by the Monegasque state. Revenue will come from advertising, and from selling the shows it produces. The budget for content for the first three months will be Euros 15 million, after which there will be a budget set for 2024.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The trailer (below) has debuted for “An Owl, a Garden and the Writer,” which is having its world premiere as part of the Burning Lights Competition of Visions du Réel, the documentary film festival, which runs April 21-30 in Nyon, Switzerland. Sara Dolatabadi’s film previously won the Works in Progress Post-Production Development Award at Karlovy Vary Film Festival in 2021, and was presented at the IDFA Forum that same year. The film is produced by Dolatabadi and Farhad Mohammadi for Dolatabadi’s production outfit Petit Duc Doc, in association with Fondation Jan Michalski. The film is executive produced by Iranian filmmaker Amir Naderi (“Vegas,” “Manhattan by Numbers,” “The Runner”), who received the Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker award at the Venice Film Festival in 2016, an award dedicated to a personality who has made an original contribution to innovation in contemporary cinema.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Picture Tree Intl. has picked up international sales duties on “Manta Manta: Legacy,” directed by and starring Til Schweiger. The action comedy is a sequel to the first “Manta, Manta” feature film from 1991, with a market premiere for both movies planned at the Cannes Film Market. Released by Constantin Film Verleih on March 30, “Manta Manta: Legacy” has reached over 800,000 admissions and was the number one movie in Germany in its opening week. Produced by Bernd Eichinger, Peter Zenk and Martin Moszkowicz, and directed by Wolfgang Büld, the first movie launched the acting career of Schweiger in a newly reunified Germany. Generating more than 1.2 million theatrical admissions, the film went on to be the most successful film on German commercial television.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Abacus Media Rights has pre-sold a documentary feature with the working title “We Need to Talk About Kanye” to several territories. The film, which was ordered by the BBC in February, explores the rollercoaster life and career of Kanye West, A.K.A. Ye. Its producer Jeremy Lee spoke to Variety, ahead of MipTV, the TV market and conference, which kicks off Monday in Cannes. A number of high-profile broadcasters and platforms have already acquired the film, which is fronted by the investigative journalist Mobeen Azhar, including Foxtel in Australia, NPO in the Netherlands, TV4 in Sweden and Finland, NRK in Norway, TV2 in Denmark, and VRT in Flemish Belgium.

Reese Witherspoon reunited with her ex-husband Ryan Phillipe on Friday April 14 to celebrate their son Deacon's album launch. The former co-stars turned lovers split in 2006 and have two children together - son Deacon, 19, and daughter Ava, 23 - but the family came together to honor their youngest as he released his first EP, A New Earth. Ryan shared pictures of the "awesome" evening and thanked friends and family for supporting his son.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The sixth edition of Canneseries, the international festival for premium series, kicked off Friday with the world premiere of the first episode of Apple TV+’s sci-fi show “Silo.” Lead actor and executive producer Rebecca Ferguson, director and executive producer Morten Tyldum, and screenwriter and executive producer Graham Yost walked the pink carpet at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, and spoke about the show on stage, before attending a party at an exclusive beach-side venue. It was standing room only in the 2,300-seat Louis Lumiere auditorium, where the dress code was described as “creative chic,” as the evening got underway with opening remarks by the mayor of Cannes, David Lisnard, Canneseries president, Fleur Pellerin, and “Fauda” actor and co-creator Lior Raz, who is the president of the main jury. The ceremony, hosted with aplomb by French comedy actor and writer Camille Chamoux, aired on pay TV service Canal+.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Season 6 of Canadian cop show “Hudson & Rex,” one of the world’s most successful television brands, has been given the greenlight. The new season has been added to the sales slate of Beta Film at next week’s MipTV television conference and market in Cannes. The canine star of the police procedural, German Shepherd Diesel, who plays Rex, will walk the pink carpet on Sunday at TV series festival Canneseries, which runs in parallel with MipTV. He will be joined by John Reardon, who plays detective Charlie Hudson. The crime fighting duo are presenting the French premiere of the first episode of Season 4, followed by a Q&A with the talent.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor German film and TV distribution and licensing company Telepool, which is owned by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook, is moving into lead producing movies and series, its CEO Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann tells Variety exclusively in her first interview since joining the company in January. Munich-based Telepool is celebrating its 60th anniversary on Wednesday, and although it has a barrel-load of experience in selling, distributing, licensing, financing and co-producing movies and series, this shift into initiating and lead producing represents a significant step for the company. It also forms part of Westbrook’s broader strategy for international expansion, which – in part – lay behind its acquisition of Telepool in December 2021.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor As seasoned espionage pros, they didn’t give up much, and they didn’t indulge in too much nostalgia. But for an hour or so on Wednesday evening, five core players of “The Americans” reunited in Midtown Manhattan to share stories and spread a few compliments for work they did together on the highly lauded FX series. To mark the 10th anniversary of the spy drama’s debut, stars Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys and Noah Emmerich were joined by showrunners Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields for a lively reunion conversation hosted by the Paley Center for Media. Fields reminded his colleagues that Superstorm Sandy made a surprise guest appearance in “The Americans” pilot, turning the production schedule upside down just before they were scheduled to begin shooting the pilot for DreamWorks Television and Fox Television Studios.

Bringing work home? Andy Cohen shared 4-year-old son Benjamin’s reaction to Raquel Leviss‘ infamous TomTom sweatshirt.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Iconic French fashion house Saint Laurent is launching a film production banner spearheaded by its artistic director Anthony Vaccarello. Named Saint Laurent Productions, the subsidiary is kicking off with a trio of films from renowned filmmakers, including a pair of shorts world premiering at Cannes: “Strange Way of Life” by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal. Vaccarello, a cinephile who became the artistic director of Saint Laurent in 2016, said launching this new division gives him “the opportunity to expand the vision I have for Saint Laurent through a medium that has more permanence than clothes.”

Paul Feig already has one intriguing upcoming comedy with “Grand Death Lotto,” starring John Cena, Awkwafina, and Simu Liu — now it’s time to add another to the list. Deadline reports that Feig is set to direct an upcoming spy comedy over at Paramount, with Sebastian Stan and Maria Bakalova to star.   READ MORE: ‘Grand Death Lotto’: John Cena, Awkwafina & Simu Liu To Star In Paul Feig’s Upcoming Action-Comedy On Prime Video Exact plot details are under wraps, but “Welcome To Flatch” writer Jenny Bicks pens the script, and its pitch is about a failed double agent who somehow becomes an unlikely success.