Holly Jones In anticipation of screening at Cannes’ MipTV market, Beta Film, which handles distribution, has provided Variety exclusive access to the international trailer for Greek abduction thriller “Silent Road.”Written by Melina Tsampani and Petros Kalkovalis and directed by Vardis Marinakis, the series dissects the entangled lives of an affluent family in Athens after a school bus carrying their children is held hostage, the kids and bus drivers inside being abducted and held for ransom. A slight nod to the eerie legend, turning on the Pied Piper of Hamelin, the town must come to grips with the event while police dig into the crime, desperate to resolve the atrocity.“While shaping the idea for ‘Silent Road,’ we wanted to use a fairytale in the narration, as a bridge that connects the world of adults to that of the children.
Thessaloniki Film Festival Launches Green Cinema Initiative on Fire-Ravaged Island of Evia
19.03.2022 - 00:07 / variety.com
Christopher Vourlias Thessaloniki Film Festival director Orestis Andreadakis was on summer vacation last August when he got a call from Stavros Benos, the head of the newly appointed National Reconstruction Committee, which was tasked with responding to a series of devastating wildfires that had recently swept across the island of Evia.Just weeks before, Greece’s second-largest island had been a densely wooded paradise famous for its production of honey and resin. But nearly a third of Evia was reduced to ash and cinders during a scorching summer that saw an estimated 300,000 acres of forest and bushland incinerated by wildfires across Greece, as soaring temperatures hit a record high of 115.3 degrees.Benos was calling the festival topper with a plea.
“He said, ‘You know, this situation is tragic. We need ideas, and we need to include cinema,’” Andreadakis told Variety this week at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival.
“And I said, ‘Ok, I’ll call you when I get to Athens.’ And he said, ‘No, you don’t understand. Half of Evia is completely destroyed.
We need an idea tomorrow.’” Andreadakis swept into action, convening an emergency meeting with Yianna Sarri, the head of the Thessaloniki Film Festival’s industry arm, Agora, and Leda Galanou, who would become the project manager for what in the ensuing days the trio conceived of as the Evia Film Project.The goal was to take the festival’s experience at mounting large-scale public events and contribute to the economic and cultural regeneration of the devastated island through a series of film screenings and industry events focused on issues such as climate change, ecology and sustainability. The Evia Film Project – which takes place from June 15-19, with submissions open
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BBC Greenlights Drama On Football Sexual Abuse Scandal; Disney+ Launch Plans; Cairo Film Fest Director; Viaplay Liv Ullmann Doc – Global Briefs
BBC Greenlights Drama On Football Sexual Abuse Scandal; Nick Rowland & Matt Greenhalgh Attached
Teresa Giudice hospitalized for 'emergency medical procedure'
Teresa Giudice is recovering in the hospital after undergoing an "emergency medical procedure," according to multiple reports.On March 24, the "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star's rep confirmed the hospitalization, but said the surgery was "non-cosmetic.""She is in recovery, currently resting, and she thanks everyone for their prayers and well-wishes," the rep told Page Six, adding that Teresa is expected to be discharged "within the next 24 hours."News of the reality TV star's procedure got out after Teresa's eldest daughter, Gia Giudice, posted a photo of her mom in a hospital bed."Such a trooper. I love you," she captioned a photo of her mom wearing a mask.
Zara McDermott addresses Love in the Flesh and Love Island comparisons
With its sunny setting and budding romances, Zara McDermott’s new dating show, Love in the Flesh, might be mistaken for an episode of ITV mega hit Love Island. But the show’s presenter Zara, who was propelled to fame when she entered the Love Island villa back in 2018, has now addressed claims that the two formats are similar, exclusively telling OK! that she thinks there’s “plenty of room” for all dating shows.The 24 year old’s new BBC Three show follows five couples who have fallen head over heels after speaking online.The catch? They’ve never met in person - until now.
‘Feeling Randy’: Reid Miller, Jonathan Silverman, Marguerite Moreau & Chris Mulkey Board Coming-Of-Age Comedy From Director Dean Lent
EXCLUSIVE: Reid Miller (Joe Bell), Jonathan Silverman (Good Girls), Marguerite Moreau (Wet Hot American Summer) and Chris Mulkey (Twin Peaks) have signed on to star in the indie Feeling Randy, marking the solo directorial debut of veteran cinematographer Dean Lent.
Zara McDermott 'a shoulder to cry on' as she hosts Love Island-inspired dating show
Made in Chelsea star Zara McDermott lands her first big presenting gig, hosting a new dating show.The 25 year old’s career has rocketed since she left the reality show where she found love with Sam Thompson, and quit Made in Chelsea. Her impressive BBC Three documentaries on sexual violence in schools and revenge porn, where she shared her own experiences, showed another side to the star. She has even got noticed by royalty, earlier this year meeting Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, as she hosted a reception to mark the 50th anniversary of the domestic violence charity Refuge.
‘Zorba’ Novelist Nikos Kazantzakis’ ‘Last Voyage’ to Japan Travels to the Big Screen
Christopher Vourlias At a time when he was both his country’s most celebrated novelist and a journalist struggling to make ends meet, “Zorba the Greek” author Nikos Kazantzakis set sail for Japan on a formative journey that would shape the latter half of his career – and ultimately lead to his untimely death.Based on the written account of his travels in the Far East, “Last Voyage,” by journalist and documentary filmmaker Aris Chatzistefanou, examines that journey while using it as a framework to explore how the period between the two World Wars shaped what would come to be known as the “Japanese Miracle.” Produced by Kyriakos Chatzistefanou for Moviementa Productions, the film premieres this week at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. Greece’s greatest modern writer occupies a singular place in the country’s literary canon.
HBO Max Details Content Strategy for Central and Eastern Europe, Reveals New Format ‘One True Singer’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Naman Ramachandran Heavily localized content complementing a wealth of new and library offerings out of the U.S. is very much the modus operandi for HBO Max in Europe.The WarnerMedia-backed streamer, which will soon be combined with Discovery Plus, rolled out recently to 13 countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), as well as Portugal and the Netherlands, with Turkey, Greece, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to follow later this year.
Ahad Raza Mir Cast in Netflix ‘Resident Evil’ Series (EXCLUSIVE)
Naman Ramachandran Popular Pakistani-Canadian actor Ahad Raza Mir has been cast in Netflix original series “Resident Evil,” Variety has confirmed. Netflix has not yet revealed details of the character Mir will be playing in the series.“Resident Evil” is a live action, scripted series that will tell a new story building on Capcom’s hit video game franchise. Lance Reddick is set to star as Albert Wesker and the cast also includes Ella Balinska, Tamara Smart, Siena Agudong, Adeline Rudolph, and Paola Nuñez.Constantin Film, which previously produced the six-feature film franchise based on the games, will serve as the studio behind the series.
Greg Lipstone to Oversee Eurovision Expansion as President and COO of American Song Contest
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeFormer Propagate president Greg Lipstone is making the move over to oversee American Song Contest Inc. as its president and COO, just days before the ambitious NBC competition series launches on March 21.An offshoot of the long-running global phenomenon Eurovision, “American Song Contest” will attempt to try something similar in the United States, via song writing and performer competitors representing 56 U.S.
Teresa Giudice Reveals Plans for Her Wedding to Luis Ruelas — Is Melissa Gorga a Bridesmaid?
While discussing her upcoming wedding plans, Teresa Giudice revealed that she will have eight bridesmaids by her side — but sister-in-law Melissa Gorga won’t be one of them.
Editor’s Pick: Chicago’s PrideArts Spring International Film Festival
At Water’s Edge, a mesmerizing queer dance short from the acclaimed, trailblazing transgender choreographer, and Homo Pol, a short dance documentary film by Amadeus Pawlica focused on the LGBTQ community in Poland.Monday, March 21, brings nine more in a program exploring relationships at opposite ends of the age spectrum, from budding young love to the Alzheimer’s-induced fading memory of a relationship more than 40 years in the making.Also part of Week 2 programming is the German short Pussy Cruising, a humorous take and fantastical riff on the subject posed by the question, “What would cruising among lesbians look like?”The seven films packaged in Week 3 examine the prejudices, discrimination, and other hurdles, some of them self-imposed, faced by people with queer identities, particularly as faced by those living in Iran, Finland, Greece, Spain, North America, and Chile — with The Bodies of Siegfried, Emilio Rodriguez’s documentary offering a visual exploration questioning the limits of art and pornography.Finally, queer challenges, from identity and self-image to romantic relationships, are explored in the final six selected for Week 4, beginning April 4 and ending April 11.Tickets per program, offering a full week of streaming, are $10, or $25 for a full festival pass.
Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis’ To Debut At This Year’s Cannes Film Festival
There’s no denying that Baz Luhrmann is going big for his new film, “Elvis.” From the over-the-top style and the “What the hell?” accent from Tom Hanks, the musical drama seems like a must-see event. And when you have such a stylish, uber-theatrical musical film, what better place to debut than at Cannes? READ MORE: ‘Elvis’ Trailer: Austin Butler & Tom Hanks Star In Baz Luhrmann’s New Drama About The King Of Rock & Roll According to Deadline, that’s exactly what’s happening.
Thessaloniki Documentary Festival Spotlights Five Emerging Georgian Docmakers
Christopher Vourlias Since its inaugural edition at the 60th Thessaloniki Film Festival in 2019, the Meet the Future program has offered a look ahead to the next generation of emerging film talents set to make waves in Greece, the wider Mediterranean region and beyond.After training the spotlight on up-and-coming documentary filmmakers from Serbia, who presented five projects in post-production to industry guests at last year’s Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, the focus shifts this year to Georgia, a country that’s seen its cinema profile rise in recent years on the strength of directors including acclaimed docmaker Salomé Jashi, whose arresting feature “Taming the Garden” (pictured) played in the Sundance World Cinema Documentary Competition.Yianna Sarri, the head of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival’s industry arm, Agora, considers herself “one of the biggest fans of Georgian cinema for many years now.” “They make beautiful cinema,” she said, adding that she had “this [Georgian focus] in mind for a very long time.”In collaboration with the Georgian Film Center, Thessaloniki presents five up-and-coming Georgian documentary filmmakers who will present their next projects during a special Meet the Future showcase on March 15.Here are this year’s participants:
Cannes Film Festival Adds TikTok As Official Partner
The Cannes Film Festival has added a new official partner ahead of this year’s festival: China-owned social media platform TikTok.
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Is Headed To The Cannes Film Festival
Every year, the Cannes Film Festival is a showcase of some of the best films from around the world made by some of the most respected filmmakers alive today. Oh, and it’s also an event that loves to showcase at least one tentpole, blockbuster film.
TikTok Becomes Cannes Film Festival’s Official Partner
Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentTikTok has become the official partner of the Cannes Film Festival on time for its 75th anniversary and will give the cultural event a wider-than-ever platform comprising one billion users around the world.While it banned selfies on the red carpet several years ago, Cannes is looking to draw global eyeballs and will provide TikTok users with some exclusive content from backstage, glamorous red carpet scenes and interviews with talents. Aiming to position itself as a top entertainment destination and content creator, the banner is also launching the #TikTokShortFilm, a global in-app competition of vertical short films – between 30 secondes and 3 minutes.
Nely Reguera’s High-Profile Málaga Bow ‘La Voluntaria’ Scooped by Bendita Film Sales (EXCLUSIVE)
Emiliano De Pablos Tenerife-based Bendita Film Sales has taken international sales rights to Nely Reguera’s sophomore outing, drama “La voluntaria” (“The Volunteer”), toplining “Broken Embraces,” “Perfect Life” and Piggy” star Carmen Machi, one of the biggest marquee draws in Spain.World premiering in main competition at this year’s Malaga Festival, “La voluntaria” marks Reguera’s follow-up to her well-received feature 2016 debut, the Bárbara Lennie-starrer “María (And the Others),” which won the best Ibero-American film prize at the Miami Film Festival and earned new director and lead actress nominations at the Spanish Academy Goya Awards.Barcelona-born Reguera forms part of the new generation of exciting young female Catalan auteurs, alongside Carla Simón (“Alcarràs”), Belén Funes (“The Daughter of the Thief”), Neus Ballús (“The Odd-Job Men”) and Meritxell Colell (“Facing the Wind”). A Spain-Greece co-production, “La voluntaria” is produced by Adriá Monés at Fasten Films, Bteam Pictures’ Alex Lafuente and Maria Drandaki from Homemade Films. The film follows Marisa, a recently retired doctor, played by Machi, who has a big desire to having grand-children, but for an inexplicable reason none of her children has granted her wish.After the sudden death of her only companion, her bulldog, Marisa decides to leave everything and travel to a refugee camp in Greece, where the children seem to need people exactly like her. Itsaso Arana (“The August Virgin”), Arnau Comas (“Yesterday’s Two Nights”), Dèlia Brufau (“Your Are Not So Special”), Yohan Levy (“Emily in Paris”) and Henrietta Rauth (“Gruber Is Leaving”) complete the cast.“We are very happy to add to our catalog the latest film by Nely Reguera, one of the most promising