Toronto Festival, Korea’s CJ ENM and KOFIC Set up K-Story Fund – Global Bulletin

Naman Ramachandran “RRR” Star NTR Jr‘s next film “Devara” will release in two parts, director Koratala Siva has revealed. The first part will release on Apr. 5, 2024.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Gael Garcia Bernal is set to preside over the jury of the upcoming Rome Film Festival. The Mexican actor, director and producer will be judging entries and bestowing prizes in the rebooted fest’s main section, which is now known as Progressive Cinema. Films competing for Rome prizes include Spanish director Isabel Coixet’s “Un Amor,” about a young woman socially and sexually exploited by a rural patriarchy; Iranian director Farhad Delaram, in which a former filmmaker turned medic decides to help a female political prisoner escape from a psych ward; and French director Mehdi Fikri’s “After The Fire,” which turns on a French woman of North African descent who seeks justice after her younger brother dies suspiciously after being stopped by the police.

Naman Ramachandran The U.K.’s National Film and Television School (NFTS) has partnered with “The Crown” producer Left Bank Pictures on the NFTS Diverse Writers Development Program that kicks off in March 2024. It will select six emerging U.K. screenwriters from under-represented backgrounds to contribute their voices to the entertainment landscape and inject fresh perspectives into scripted drama.

Naman Ramachandran The proposed merger between Indian powerhouse Zee Entertainment Enterprises and Sony‘s Indian TV businesses, which has been nearly two years in the making, is likely to be delayed further, Sony said in a filing on Friday. The companies cleared a key regulatory hurdle in August, but there are other matters pending, especially that of leadership. The original plan had foreseen that Zee’s CEO Punit Goenka would be its captain, while Sony would own a 51% controlling stake.

Naman Ramachandran The BBC has commissioned “Doctor Who: Unleashed,” a 30-minute factual entertainment series that will accompany the upcoming new season of “Doctor Who.” The companion show, hosted by Steffan Powell, will kick off after every episode of “Doctor Who” and will provide insights into how it was made and feature interviews with cast and crew. “Doctor Who,” which is celebrating its 60th anniversary with David Tennant as the 14th Doctor, returns in November with three episodes. Jemma Redgrave reprises her role as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Neil Patrick Harris will play the Toymaker, an all-powerful enemy last seen in 1966.

Naman Ramachandran The 2024 edition of the U.K.’s annual Brit Awards will take place on March 2 and will continue its primetime slot on broadcaster ITV1 and streamer ITVX, live from The O2 arena in London. Damian Christian, managing director and president of promotions at Atlantic Records (part of Warner Music U.K.) will continue as chair of the Brit committee for 2024; Sally Wood will stay on as executive producer of the show for Brits TV; and Misty Buckley will return to design the set for the awards.

Big Brother,” which first launched 23 years ago, is set to return to ITV screens on Oct. 8.

K.J. Yossman To mark the 25th anniversary of the “Harry Potter” books being published in the U.S., the Empire State Building is set to be lit up in Hogwarts house colors at sunset on Wednesday, Sept. 27.

Andy Cohen and Emma Roberts shaded Tom Sandoval during the premiere episode of “American Horror Story: Delicate”.

Jaden Thompson The Newport Beach Film Festival, which will run from Oct. 12-19 this year, has announced their opening and closing night films. Marco Perego’s “The Absence of Eden,” which stars Zoë Saldana, will open the festival on Oct.

Naman Ramachandran British actor Vanessa Redgrave will receive the European Lifetime Achievement award for her outstanding body of work at the European Film Awards. Hailing from an illustrious family of actors, Redgrave’s first lead in “Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment” (1966), by Karel Reisz, won her best actress at Cannes and scored BAFTA and Oscar nominations.

Outlander fans are patiently waiting for the second half of season seven, which will premiere at some point in 2024.

Katharine McPhee does not want to be included in the narrative surrounding Russell Brand‘s sexual assault allegations.

Naman Ramachandran U.K. broadcaster ITV has signed a deal with UEFA to become the new home of England men’s soccer qualifying games. All European qualifiers, UEFA Nations League ties and friendlies between major tournaments will be shown on ITV from September 2024 through to June 2028.

Netflix has released the first trailer for Wes Anderson’s The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar – check it out below.Based on the short story by Roald Dahl, the upcoming short film follows wealthy man Henry Sugar (Benedict Cumberbatch) who learns about a guru who can see without using his eyes, a skill Sugar then sets out to master in order to cheat at gambling.Other cast members include Ralph Fiennes as Roald Dahl, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, Rupert Friend and Richard Ayoade.It’s one of four short films arriving on Netflix later this month based on Dahl’s works. Following The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar on September 27, Anderson’s other three shorts include Swan (September 28), The Ratcatcher (September 29) and Poison (September 30).The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar is written, directed and co-produced by Anderson.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Oscar-winning Korean actor Youn Yuh-jung (“Minari,” “Pachinko”) will headline the Actors’ House section of the upcoming Busan International Film Festival, it was announced on Thursday. Introduced in 2021, Actors’ House is a special series that connects audiences and film enthusiasts with iconic actors from the current generation through its in-depth discussions. “There’s much anticipation to hear her words of wisdom, as she’s known for her insightful observations,” said the festival. Others this year include: Han Hyo-joo, Song Joong-ki and Korean-American actor and author John Cho.

Ellise Shafer MIA, the international market held annually in Rome, has announced the first confirmed speakers for its ninth edition. This year, speakers at the industry event — which focuses on co-production, financing strategies and sales and distribution — include Nicole Clemens, president of Paramount of Paramount Television Studios and Paramount+ original scripted series; Sara Bernstein, president of Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Documentaries; Marge Dean, head of Skybound Entertainment’s animation studio and president of Women in Animation; “Waltz With Bashir” director Ari Folman; Nicholas Weinstock, founder and president of Invention Studios and “Severance” producer; and James Townley, chief content officer of development at Banijay.

Jennie Punter Indigenous filmmakers continue to make strides in Canada, building industry capacity on their own terms and telling stories that both honor their communities and reach out to global audiences. Toronto’s 2023 slate offers audiences and buyers vital, provocative, and — because we need it — hilarious world-premiering work from established creators and up-and-comers. “Tautuktavuk (What We See)” is the latest from Isuma, the collective of Inuit-owned media companies best-known for Camera d’Or-winning “Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner” (2001).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Entertainment, sports and brand licensing firms WildBrain CPLG and WildBrain Ltd. have brokered location-based entertainment (LBE) deals on behalf of Peanuts Worldwide for “Peanuts,” “Teletubbies” and “In the Night Garden” with China’s Max-Matching Entertainments. These are expected to lead to the opening of family entertainment centers and IP-themed hotel rooms for each brand in Beijing, in Zhongshan City, Guangdong and a third city yet to be announced.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Abacus Media Rights has pre-sold the feature documentary “The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee,” to Sky Arts, SBS Television Australia; to NonStop Entertainment for Scandinavia, Iceland and the Baltics and to Movistar for Spain. Lee is known as the Dracula character and for transitioning from 1960s Hammer horror films to a distinguished acting career that encompassed James Bond films, the “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings” franchises. Less well-known are his aristocratic Italian roots, a close family connection to James Bond novelist Ian Fleming, Lee’s wartime experiences in the British and Finnish military, post-war Nazi-hunting adventures and a side career as a heavy metal rock singer. As an actor, Lee achieved a Guinness world record for the highest number of screen appearances. Produced in association with the British Film Institute and Trigger Films by Canal Cat Films, “Life and Deaths” is an innovative documentary which uses fresh interviews, archive material and multiple forms of traditional and cutting-edge animation, including marionation, to bring one of the world’s leading actors back to life on screen.