‘Temptation Island’ Sets France Return – Global Bulletin

Naman Ramachandran “Emergency,” written, directed and produced by Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut, has set a release date. The film focuses on one of the most controversial periods of post-Independence Indian history from 1975 to 1977 when then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a nationwide state of emergency. During that time civil liberties and press freedom were curtailed and elections were canceled.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Australian actor Rebel Wilson has been named as the emcee of the 2024 edition of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) awards. Wilson will take to the stage on Saturday, Feb. 10. Two days earlier, on Feb.

So, here we are in mid-January, and though we’re staring down the barrel of a tough year ahead, it’s not all wintry doom and gloom on an international box office (and combined global) level. 

Naman Ramachandran Warner Bros. Discovery, the Board of Control for Cricket in India and Pitch International have signed a package of rights that will see them broadcast live international cricket hosted in India on its linear and digital platforms, TNT Sports and Discovery+, for the next five years.

The Family Stallone is accepting guests again into their home. All 10 episodes of the second season of the docuseries featuring Sylvester Stallone, Jennifer Flavin Stallone and their daughters Sophia, Sistine and Scarlet will premiere February 21 on the streamer.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent A group of 20 prominent screen trade organizations have united to ask governments around the world to enact regulations ensuring that global streaming giants like Netflix and Disney+ invest more resources in local content. The joint plea — hailing from production bodies in Europe, Canada, Australasia and Latin America — comes as streaming services have scaled down on acquiring and commissioning local content across many markets within the last year in order to ramp up profitability.

The British Film Institute has revealed the list of TV, film, and animation companies that have won funding from its latest £3.3M ($4.2M) Global Screen Fund payout.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles and The India Center Foundation, two non-profit organizations working with South Asian film in the U.S., have agreed to merge. Already long-time collaborators, IFFLA and ICF will, among other things, work closely to incubate and launch an industry development program to showcase the next generation of South Asian talent to studios, funders and media executives. “We saw an opportunity to scale our work nationally as one of the leading supporters of emerging creative talent in the diaspora.

EXCLUSIVE: Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki has achieved his best global box office in a decade with Cannes Jury Prize winner Fallen Leaves which has racked up a total gross of $12.4M, according to figures released by its producers.

Martin Dale Contributor Founded in 2012, Paris-based WTFilms, run by Gregory Chambet and Dimitri Stephanides, has built a strong reputation as a sales agent for break-out genre pics and has recently diversified into production, to access hit projects. As competition ramps up for more ambitious projects with strong theatrical potential, Chambet decided to move to Los Angeles in mid-2023, while Stephanides remains based in Paris. “At WTFilms, we aim to continue to work on both sides of the Atlantic,” explains Chambet.

‘The Repair Shop‘ Outfit Ricochet Signs Damon Pattison

In a lull for specialty openings early in the new year, three foreign-language films are taking a shot. The Settlers, winner of the Cannes Un Certain Regard FIPRESCI Prize, and Inshallah A Boy are Cannes alumns and Oscar submissions from, respectively, Chile and Jordan (neither short-listed in a competitive field). Driving Madeleine is a crowd pleasing French film.

Dennis Harvey Film Critic During the Cold War, we had “I Married a Communist” and “I Married a Monster From Outer Space” — two predicaments that the era’s paranoias rendered basically the same thing. In recent years, however, a more common screen fantasy might be summarized as “Whoops, My Significant Other Turns Out to Be an International Spy/Assassin.” There have been numerous efforts in that vein, of variably intentional absurdity.

Naman Ramachandran “Kalki 2898 AD,” the Indian sci-fi epic starring Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Deepika Padukone and Disha Patani, will release theatrically worldwide on May 9. The date was unveiled across Indian cities Varanasi, Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarh, Chennai, Madurai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Bhimavaram, Kashmir and Vijayawada by actors in the raider costumes featured in the film. The film, which is directed by Nag Ashwin and backed by Vyjayanthi Movies, was teased at the San Diego Comic-Con last year.

Bill Murray (The French Dispatch), Michael Cera (Life & Beth) and Benicio Del Toro (The French Dispatch) have been set to star in the newest feature from seven-time Academy Award nominee Wes Anderson, which is set to go into production this year, Deadline has confirmed.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Disney Brand Television has acquired two more seasons of “Miraculous — Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir,” as well as three original animated specials from ZAG studio and Method Animation, a label owned by Mediawan Kids & Family. Currently in production, the sixth and seventh seasons, as well as the specials will roll out on Disney Channel worldwide in the fall, and will go on to stream on Disney+ globally thereafter. “Miraculous — Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir” follows the adventures of two teens with secret identities, Marinette and Adrien, who transform into superheroes Ladybug and Cat Noir to save Paris from villains.

Ellise Shafer Max‘s first unscripted originals in Spain will include local adaptations of “Naked Attraction,” “Naked and Afraid” and “Peking Express.” Max is set to launch in the country in the spring. “With the launch of Max, we will continue to produce quality scripted projects and we will enhance the unscripted offering by adding premium documentaries and entertainment shows appealing to a wider audience,” said Laura Carafoli, SVP TV networks and digital local production in Italy and Iberia.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief KCON, the Korean pop music and culture convention operated by CJ ENM, will hold five editions in 2024, organizers said on Thursday. The first of the year will be Hong Kong, a new destination for the convention series, before moving on to KCON Japan in May 10-12 and KCON LA July 26-28. Other editions will be held in Saudi Arabia and Europe at unspecified dates in the second half of the year. The Hong Kong edition will be held at March 30-31 at the AsiaWorld Expo, a 10,000 seater venue adjacent to the airport.

Max Unveils Unscripted originals In Spain

Jeb Brown (City Center’s Pal Joey), Eddie Cooper (Parade), Andrew Durand (Shucked) and Dashiell Eaves (Broadway’s A Christmas Carol) are among the cast set for the upcoming Audible staging and recording of Dead Outlaw, a new musical from the team behind The Band’s Visit.