Ukrainian U21 international Max Kucheriavyi signs two year contract extension with St Johnstone

Join us, Insiders, for another look through the busy world of film and TV. Jesse Whittock from the TV team here taking you into the weekend.

New year, new star splits. While many celeb couples have gone the distance in Hollywood, other romances haven’t stood the test of time.

EXCLUSIVE: Taissa Farmiga (The Gilded Age) will exec produce and star in the Ukrainian drama Anna, from producer Uri Singer (White Noise).

Good afternoon Insiders, Max Goldbart here relaying a hugely busy week in the world of film and TV as the post-Christmas blues are very much washed away. Read on.

In theory, international films can earn an Oscar nomination for Best Picture in any given year. But in reality, only a handful have ever attained that distinction, and a single one — Parasite — has claimed the prize.

An exhibition of work by two talented Ukrainian artists is being held this month.

The streamlining of CBS Studios and Paramount Television Studios’ operations continues. Deborah Aquila, who heads casting for PTVS, will become the head of casting for both CBS Studios and Paramount TV Studios. She will add the responsibilities most recently held by CBS Studios EVP Casting Meg Liberman who announced her retirement earlier today.

One of the top TV casting executives in the business, Meg Liberman, currently EVP and head of casting at CBS Studios, has announced her retirement after 47 years in casting, the last 14 at the studio. The studio’s new casting department structure is expected to be announced shortly.

EXCLUSIVE: Berlin-based documentary sales specialist Rise and Shine has boarded Ukrainian director Roman Liubyi’s work Iron Butterflies ahead of its world debut in Sundance (Jan 19-29), followed by its European premiere in Berlin.

The Oscars declined to give a platform to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last year, but the Golden Globes made up for it tonight, offering him an opportunity to speak directly to an American and world audience.

A flying ace, rampaging dinosaurs, Marvel, DC, Minions and battling blue aliens on a distant planet were among the highlights of 2022 for the Hollywood studios at the global and international box office. Still, it was yet another year of transition, with worldwide grosses reaching an estimated $26B — a 27% increase on 2021 but 35% off the pre-pandemic three-year average, according to Gower Street Analytics. The upward trajectory also occurred overseas as some markets came back strongly, while others struggled and exchange rates went wild.

SkyShowtime has struck its first major content deal, picking up exclusive rights to 21 HBO Max Europe originals, most of which were ditched by the streamer last year following its European programing cull.

Annie Mac revealed last week that a USB stick that was stolen from her during a DJ set in December has been returned. A handwritten note delivered with the thumb drive blamed “a moment of drunken madness” for the incident.The disk – on which Mac had stored thousands of tracks – was taken during one of the DJ’s Before Midnight club nights last month, prompting her to put out a public plea for its return, promising that there would be “no repercussions” for whoever had taken it.In a new post last week, she revealed that the USB stick had now been returned, it having been sent to her management.“This is my oldest USB stick”, she wrote. “I use it for DJing.

With all the current upheaval at DC Studios, it feels as if there’s only one sure thing for the DCU in the years ahead: Matt Reeves‘ “The Batman” films and their HBO Max spinoff shows. Don’t expect Reeves’ sequel to last year’s hit for a few years, but “The Penguin” with Colin Farrell enters production next month.

Welcome back Insiders. Hope you’re feeling sufficiently rested and re-energized as the world of TV and film kicks back into gear. Jesse Whittock with you for the first edition of 2023, and we have plenty for you.

Recent data published by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) suggests that 7.8 million people across the UK are finding it increasingly more challenging to keep up with their household bills, a rise of around 2.5 million since 2020. The research shows that one in four UK adults are in financial difficulty or believe they could quickly find themselves in difficulty if an unexpected cash emergency popped up.

It’s been another challenging year in the world of content creation and the climate has arguably demanded more gumption and savviness from its leaders than ever before. With the business increasingly looking beyond U.S. shores for revenues and opportunities for growth, Deadline’s International Disruptors column continues to highlight some of the key executives and companies shaking up the offshore marketplace. These are the leaders who are thriving in the midst of the tidal changes so take a look back at 2022’s standouts below.

As 2022 draws to an end, Deadline’s critics have each chosen their top three movies of the year to hail from abroad. Some were festival world premieres, and some have made the International Feature Oscar shortlist (not all were put forth by their country of origin, nor are they each in a foreign language). Donkeys certainly made a splash, including in one 2020 French title that only saw U.S. release this year.