Venice Critics’ Week Title ‘Shorta’ Sells to Key Markets for Charades (EXCLUSIVE)

Tom Grater International Film ReporterHello and welcome to International Insider. Tom Grater here bringing you our latest rundown of international news, including some exciting TIFF deal-making action, a key hire in the German TV market, and the winners from the first major film festival to take place in the pandemic era.Pre-market nerves: “How will this year’s market play out? Who knows?” Wrote Deadline’s Mike Fleming on the eve of this year’s Toronto Film Festival.

Clayton Davis Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories.

Walt Disney has launched its Disney+ streaming service in eight more European markets. They are Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Belgium and Luxembourg.

Guy Lodge Film CriticBefore this year’s Venice Film Festival comes to a close with Saturday’s announcement of the official selection awards, the fest’s autonomous sections got the ball rolling Friday with their own prizes.Coming out on top in the Venice Days program was Russian director Philipp Yuryev’s debut feature “The Whaler Boy,” an offbeat story of a teenage whale hunter on the Bering Strait, who sets out to meet the webcam model with whom he’s become obsessed.The film received the

Rebecca Rubin News Editor, OnlineAhead of its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, Emma Seligman’s debut feature “Shiva Baby” has sold worldwide rights to Utopia Media.“Shiva Baby” follows a young bisexual Jewish woman at a shiva — a mourning tradition in the Jewish community — in which her older male paramour and female high school sweetheart are present.“This film was made to represent the various contradictions and pressures placed upon young women, especially young queer women, from

Manori Ravindran International EditorMalgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert’s “Never Gonna Snow Again,” one of the buzziest titles out of the Venice Film Festival, has found distribution in the U.K., Italy and Germany.Following what’s understood to have been a competitive process with wide interest, Picturehouse Entertainment has swooped for U.K./Eire rights. I Wonder has bought the film for Italy, and Real Fiction are on board for Germany.

Lise Pedersen “Harvest” (“Jana”) by Lebanese artist and filmmaker Ely Dagher is one of six films from Africa and the Middle East selected for the Final Cut section in Venice Film Festival industry event, Venice Production Bridge.The film’s producers at France’s indie outfit Andolfi are hoping to pick up prizes in Venice, in kind or in cash, that will allow them to fill their funding gap and wrap up post-production by the end of the year, with the goal of returning to Cannes in 2021.Dagher won

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentLos Angeles-based Menemsha Films has acquired North American rights from Italy’s Intramovies to Venice Critics’ Week title “Thou Shalt Not Hate,” ahead of the racial hatred-themed drama’s premiere Sunday on the Lido. The film has also been picked up for Australia and New Zealand by Moving Story Entertainment.Directed by Italian first-timer Mauro Mancini, “Thou Shalt Not Hate” (Non Odiare) stars Alessandro Gassman as Simone Segre, a renowned surgeon of

Lise Pedersen Feltrinelli Editore, which is behind Roberto Saviano’s bestselling novel “ZeroZeroZero,” which was adapted into a TV series for Sky Atlantic, Canal Plus and Amazon Prime, is one of 18 prestigious publishers from across Europe attending Venice Film Festival’s Book Adaptation Rights Market (BARM).The first two episodes of the “ZeroZeroZero” series, which offers a gritty account of the global cocaine trade and stars Andrea Riseborough, Dane DeHaan and Gabriel Byrne, had their world

Filmmaker Kornél Mundruczó is no stranger to the film festival circuit, with his 2005 film “Johanna” screening at the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, before “White God” took home the Prize Un Certain Regard later in 2014. “White God” was even selected to be Hungary’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 87th Academy Awards.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentDaniele Luchetti’s “The Ties” (“Lacci”), the first Italian film to open the Venice Film Festival in 11 years, garnered warm reviews on its world premiere on Wednesday evening, and has been sold by MK2 Films in a raft of territories around the world.MK2 Films has been able to lure major distributors in key markets, notably France (Pyramide), Spain (Caramel), Latin America (Synapse), China (Huanxi), Portugal (Midas), Greece (Weirdwave), Austria (Thim),

Christopher Vourlias Three teenagers living in an institution for people with special needs fall into an unexpected love triangle, and are suddenly forced to navigate powerful new feelings of envy and desire. As their emotions threaten to upend the carefully structured world around them, the trio find themselves increasingly willing to resort to desperate measures to find a way out.“Oasis” is the sophomore feature film from Serbian director Ivan Ikić, which world premieres Sept.

coronavirus pandemic, Tamhane plans to be there.“It’s been my dream, in a way to, you know, (to) be in competition at the festival,” he said. “You know, there would be no bigger high than presenting the film in person at Venice.”“I started off almost like a journalist, you know, attending concerts, interviewing musicians and hanging out in these spaces that they inhabit.

Taylor Hill stuns on the red carpet with a pretty Etro gown for the 2020 Venice Film Festival opening ceremony on Wednesday (September 2) in Venice, Italy.

Cate Blanchett walks the red carpet while attending the opening ceremony of the 2020 Venice Film Festival on Wednesday (September 2) in Venice, Italy.

Tilda Swinton is honouring Chadwick Boseman once again at the Venice Film Festival.

Tilda Swinton accepts the Golden Lion Award on stage at the 2020 Venice Film Festival‘s opening ceremony on Wednesday (September 2) in Venice, Italy.