Top Latin American Arthouse Title ‘Puan,’ from María Alche, Benjamin Naishtat, Boarded by Luxbox (EXCLUSIVE)

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Germany’s Beta has licensed Spanish special ops thriller “La Unidad – Kabul,” to Max for the U.S., the third instalment in one of Movistar Plus+’s longest running franchises, “La Unidad,” whose six episodes deliver an engrossing and sometimes shocking take on the 2021 Fall of Kabul. With the purchase, all 18 episodes of Spanish series “La Unidad” are now available to stream on Max in the U.S.   Beta has previously sold the thriller, spangled by action scenes and haunting in its sudden deaths, to 50 territories including France, Latin America, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Australia.  

Sofia Richie is truly basking in the spotlight after the highly anticipated wedding of the year and her much-awaited TikTok debut. Since she tied the knot in a breathtaking ceremony on April 22 at the luxurious Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, France, not only has she become the new face of "quiet luxury," but she is also setting trends across beauty and fashion. Speaking to SILKE London’s founder, Maria Sotiriou, here we have broken down some of the signature ‘Sofia styles’ ready for the Summer season.The Sofia Richie Bun Sofia has effortlessly rocked this look on numerous occasions leading up to her wedding and on her special day itself.This hairstyle exudes elegance, timelessness, and, most importantly, it is incredibly easy to style.

Anna Marie de la Fuente With the writers’ strike dragging on, unscripted content is expected to dominate programming grids. A panel organized by C21 Media at the L.A. Screenings Independents on the format’s outlook in Latin America could not have been more timely. Rising costs, shifting consumer tastes, the advent of streaming platforms and the sway of social media have indeed posed new challenges, even to such mainstays as Banijay’s “Big Brother.” One of Banijay’s biggest reality shows, it first broadcast in 1999 in the Netherlands and was syndicated to more than 60 countries worldwide. “It was a gigantic challenge when we decided to produce ‘Big Brother’ again after 10 years had passed since the last edition,” said Guillermo Pendino, VP content and programming, FTA Brands, Latam Sur, Paramount (Argentina-Chile). “It was no longer the same world, there were the platforms, the social networks and you had to speak to a new audience, an audience that didn’t even know what ‘Big Brother’ was because they were still very young the last time it was broadcast,” he noted. “From Paramount we see the unscripted format as a great opportunity, especially at Telefe Argentina and Chilevisión,” he said.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Latin American companies have descended on the 60th LA Screenings, mindful of the ever-shifting panorama in content distribution and production.  The ongoing writers’ strike is viewed by some as a boon for international content. Take what Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said at the company’s first quarter financials report presentation when the writers’ strike was looming: “If there’s a strike — and we want to work really hard to make sure we can find a fair and equitable deal so we can avoid one — but if there is one, we have a large base of upcoming shows and films from around the world.” “The global market is finally realizing that Latin America, with almost 700 million inhabitants that speak the same language, is a territory that has a huge penetration in terms of OTT and – still – pay tv subscribers,” says Mexico City-based Manuel Marti, Fremantle’s head of scripted development, Latin America. “At the same time, it has a long history of producing local content with a distinctive genre that’s slowly being embedded into American culture via the 62 million Latinos that live in the U.S.,” he adds.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent CANNES —  Belinda, one of Mexico’s biggest popstars and a star of Netflix hit “Welcome to Eden,” is attached to headline “The Red Diamond,” the latest project from Erik Barmack’s L.A. and Mexico City-based Wild Sheep Content. One of the fastest-growing of production companies in international markets, Wild Sheep has a production alliance with The Mediapro Studio.  “The Red Diamond” is also set up at Mexico City’s Wild Sheep Content Latin America, headed by producer Jimena Rodríguez who produced “3 Idiots,” the second highest-grossing Mexican movie of 2017. Rodríguez was instrumental in helping bringing Belinda to the project.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Spain’s Revelations showcase has focused on shorts, not features, unveiling the huge breadth of animation talent and techniques in Spain. Some shorts directors are already stars, such as Alberto Mielgo with the Oscar-winner “The Windshield Wiper.” Diego Porral, director of “Leopoldo From the Bar,” served as animation lead on “Love, Death + Robots” episode “Kill Team Kill.” Standouts among new projects in Revelations included “Latente,” a Next Lab Generation winner from Carlos Zaragoza and Aurora Jiménez, and Martín Romero’s “To Bird or Not to Bird,” from Uniko and Abano Producións, which is a 2D short made largely in black and white featuring an angst-ridden clock cuckoo and other birds beset by environmental destruction.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent German producer Silvana Santamaria has come on board as a lead producer on “The Witness,” the new Tehran-set project reuniting Jafar Panahi and Nader Saeivar that Arthood entertainment is selling in Cannes. Saeivar will direct “The Witness.” Saeivar wrote “3 Faces,” the Panahi-directed drama that premiered in 2018 in Cannes where it won the award for best screenplay. Panahi, who is one of Iran’s most prominent auteurs, was recently released from Tehran’s Evin prison after being incarcerated for “propaganda against the system.” He is expected to work very closely with Saeivar on “The Witness” shoot and be on set every day, as he did for Saeivar’s previous films “No End” and “Namo,” according to Santamaria. Panahi will also serve as editor on this previously announced film that is expected to start shooting soon.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Disney’s culling its content on Disney+ and Hulu is coming as early as next week — with the media company pulling off more than two dozen titles, including series “Willow,” “The Mysterious Benedict Society” and “Dollface,” and movies such as “The One and Only Ivan.” A Disney rep confirmed that 27 titles will be pulled off Disney+ and Hulu. On the company’s earnings call last week, CFO Christine McCarthy said Disney expects to take a write-down in the June quarter of $1.5 billion-$1.8 billion from removing content from its streaming platforms. “We are in the process of reviewing the content on our DTC services to align with the strategic changes in our approach to content curation,” McCarthy told investors. “As a result, we will be removing certain content from our streaming platforms.”

Brent Lang Executive Editor Christopher Manning will make his feature directorial debut with “James Ivory: In Search of Love and Beauty,” a biographical documentary about Oscar-winning director and screenwriter James Ivory. The film will chronicle the life and work of the filmmaker, who is still going strong at age 94, having earned acclaim and an Academy Award for adapting “Call Me By Your Name.” But even before that film hit theaters, Ivory was known as an unparalleled director of dramas about men and women who deal with roiling emotions behind a facade of exquisite manners.  His greatest films include such classics (and yes that over-used descriptor applies) as “A Room with a View,” “Maurice,” “Howards End” and “The Remains of the Day.” He has been nominated for the director Oscar on three occasions, and has been nominated for producing three picture contenders. Many of these movies were made with the help of the late film producer Ismail Merchant and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. The trio operated under the shingle Merchant Ivory, producing 44 films between 1961 and 2009.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Buenos Aires-based Meikincine has swooped on international sales rights to “The Extortion,” the biggest Argentine box office hit to date of 2023, in a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery Latin America.  “The Extortion” is backed by a pedigreed combo of Particular Crowd, part of Warner Bros. Discovery Latin America, Oscar winner Juan José Campanella’s 100 Bars, “Argentina, 1985” producer Infinity Hill and producer-service company Cimarrón Cine. Headlined by Guillermo Francella, memorable in Campanella’s Academy Award winning “The Secret in Their Eyes” and star of Pablo Trapero’s “The Clan,” “The Extortion” turns on Alejandro, a pilot with a secret. Blackmailed by sinister intelligence service agents, he is plunged into a world of intrigue and corruption from which he will battle to escape alive. 

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Five Catalan movies made Cannes Festival’s cut, six were selected for Marché du Film sections. Details and other top Catalan movies on the Croisette: “20,000 Species of Bees,” (Estibaliz Urresola) One of the big winners at Berlin, taking Leading Performance, and two other key prizes, and now healthy racking up healthy sales, including a Film Movement U.S. pickup, “Bees” builds from a naturalistic base – a family off for a village summer holiday – to become a moving an ode to women’s freedom. Produced out of Barcelona by Valérie Delpierre’s Inicia Films. Sales: Luxbox

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Luis Ortega has wrapped production in Argentina on “Kill the Jockey,” starring Úrsula Corberó (“Money Heist”) and Nahuel Pérez Biscayart (“120 BPM”), which is shaping up as one of the biggest upcoming movies from Latin America. Ortega’s follow-up to 2018 Un Certain Regard hit “El Angel,” which sold worldwide and set a box office record in Argentina, “Kill the Jockey” has been snapped up for international sales by Vicente Canales’ Film Factory Entertainment, which also sold “El Angel.” TelevisaUnivision VOD service ViX will roll out “Kill the Jockey” in the U.S. and Latin America. Scanbox handles distribution in Scandinavia.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Tomás Yankelevich, EVP and chief content officer of general entertainment for Latin America and U.S. Hispanic at Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), has opted to leave the company by the end of June to “pursue new professional endeavors.” Fernando Medin, president of WBD Latin America and U.S. Hispanic, has tapped industry vet Mariano Cesar to replace him. Cesar, who joined the pay TV industry some 30 years ago, was at the helm of such renowned brands as Uniseries, Retro, I.Sat, Space, TNT, TNT Series and Warner Channel. He was named head of programming and strategic content at HBO Max when it launched in 2021, adding the HBO channel portfolio and, more recently, Discovery+ to his duties.

Owl’s BrewTea Cocktails with the brand’s co-founders, Jennie Ripps and Maria Littlefield.When it comes to her perfect day, co-host is all about family time with her husband, Jeezy Jenkins, their daughter, Monaco, 1, and his sons, Jadarius and Shyheim, and daughter, Amra Nor. «My favorite summer day is being outside with our kids. I love the smell of grass and being out in the sun,» she says.But before heading out to soak up some sunshine, Mai packs a few must-haves with her, including her go-to beverage. «Give me a six pack of Owl's Brew Skinny Margaritas and I’m set.

gracing the cover of the 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.“What is the message?” moderator Whoopi Goldberg asked the panel after a photo of Stewart’s SI cover appeared, eliciting cheers from the audience.“You gotta have the moolah … and good genes,” replied Joy Behar, who is one year younger than Stewart.“She looks great,” Sunny Hostin chimed in. “It’s finally about time in this country for us to be able to say an 81-year-old woman can look great and look sexy and own it.”“Last week we had a whole bunch of Hollywood legends on — Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen and our own Joy Behar — who have made me think so fundamentally differently about aging,” replied Alyssa Farah Griffin.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Argentine production company StoryLab and Latin American group Cimarrón have teamed up to jointly co-produce TV series and feature films for the international market over the next three years. The agreement includes development, production of both existing formats and original projects, including both scripted and non-scripted series as well as films. StoryLab and Cimarrón, which operates in Uruguay, Argentina and Mexico, aim to strengthen each other as they expand internationally, taking advantage of the former’s success in content development and the latter’s impressive production capacity. The companies additionally plan to take advantage of tax incentives and cash rebates offered by Uruguay for filming in that country, a proposal they describe as highly attractive for the original production of content in an increasingly competitive industry.

Andrew McCarthy and his actor son, Sam, embarked on a five-week journey across Spain's Camino de Santiago, which is chronicled in McCarthy's latest memoir, The book details the father-son expedition along the 500-mile pilgrimage as they attempt to connect on a deeper level and have candid, honest conversations about their relationship, life, fame and more.The trek is one McCarthy, who became a household name with coming-of-age 1980s films like and , is familiar with. The actor embarked on the same walk about three decades earlier when he was much, much younger and recalled having a «life-changing» experience. «I always wanted to do it again and then as Sam was cusping adulthood, I thought it might be a great thing for us to do together,» McCarthy, 60, told ET's Rachel Smith in New York City in an exclusive sit-down with Sam, who most recently played Christina Applegate's TV son on . «I was in a very different place in my life,» McCarthy said of the first time he walked Spain when he was younger.

Jon Burlingame Composer Christopher Lennertz was declared a BMI Icon at Broadcast Music Inc.’s 39th annual Film, TV and Visual Media Awards Wednesday night (May 10) in Beverly Hills. Lennertz, a two-time Emmy nominee (“The Boys,” “Supernatural”), veteran film composer (“Alvin and the Chipmunks,” “Horrible Bosses,” “Bad Moms”) and game-music creator (“Medal of Honor,” “Mass Effect,” “The Simpsons”), was honored for his 30-year career in media music-making. BMI president and CEO Mike O’Neill presented the award, noting that Lennertz was “legendary for his diverse and distinct impact across the worlds of film, television and gaming” and telling the 51-year-old composer, “your captivating scores have taken us on a thrilling ride.”

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Paris-based distributor ARP Sélection has snapped up the timely Sudanese drama “Goodbye Julia” for French distribution ahead of its Cannes Un Certain Regard premiere next week. The film, which is Sudanese director Mohamed Kordofani’s feature debut, marks the first feature from Sudan to bow from the Croisette and takes place just before the 2011 secession of South Sudan. In “Goodbye Julia,” two women — one from the North, the other from the South — are brought together by fate in a complex relationship that attempts to reconcile differences between northern and southern Sudanese communities. in an interview with Variety, Kordofani expressed the hope that his film “Can be the start of a movement for reconciliation between all the Sudanese people” in the war-ravaged country.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Elle Fanning (“The Great”), Christopher Abbott (“Poor Things”) and Nadia Tereszkiewicz (“The Crime is Mine”) are set to headline “The Maid of Orleans,” Sarah Elizabeth Mintz’s daring follow up to “Good Girl Jane.” Loosely inspired by Mintz’s real-life experiences, “The Maid of Orleans” will explore sexual power dynamics on and off set. Jessica Chastain’s Freckle Films (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” “George and Tammy”) is set to produce alongside Fanning’s Lewellen Pictures (“The Great,” “The Girl from Plainville”). Memento International will introduce the hot project to buyers at the Cannes Film Market. Filming is scheduled to begin early 2024 in France.