World War 3 fears grow as two more countries could be edging closer to war in Europe

Lise Pedersen Documentary “Fixing the War,” about news fixers in Ukraine, was one of 15 projects selected in this week’s edition of VdR-Pitching, Visions du Réel’s international co-production and financing platform. Variety accompanied the team as they pitched to potential partners. The film’s producers Gary Lennon of Plainsong Films and Olga Kravchenko of Moon Man were in Nyon to pitch the film, which is directed by Clare Stronge and Vadym Ikov.

The 2024 Time100 is here!

Swiss Films Previews, the only spread of national movies at Switzerland’s Visions du Réel, the country’s leading doc festival. Presented via excerpts at a two-hour showcase on Wednesday, three further titles – “Kalari – the Martial Art of Female Power,” “The Boy from the River Drina” and “Spheres” – underscored the strength in depth of documentary filmmaking in Switzerland and at least in this year’s Previews, a leitmotif.

James Graham‘s double-OIivier Award winning play Dear England is hitting TV screens and the prolific creator is thinking about whether any former soccer players could make the cut.

Murtada Elfadl A sense of foreboding permeates “Intercepted” from its first few frames, cueing audiences that they are about to witness something sinister. Documentarian Oksana Karpovych shows peaceful images of children playing outside and birds chirping in the distance. Also heard on the soundtrack are ominous recordings, not exactly music but faint siren-like sounds that announce the film’s subject.

Lise Pedersen In her first media interview published ahead of the world premiere of her debut feature “Fragments of Ice” at Swiss documentary film festival Visions du Réel, Ukrainian director Maria Stoianova tells Variety how her film’s intention shifted after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Based entirely on archival footage shot on a camcorder by her father, a figure skater in former Soviet Ukraine, the film is voiced by the director, who was born in 1986 and takes the viewer back to the mid 80s and early 90s through her family’s story, as they experience the dissolution of the Soviet Union and of their dreams of a Western paradise.

Michaela Zee On the “The Daily Show,” Jon Stewart decided it was time for a “wellness check” on Gaza after the Israel-Hamas war reached the six-month mark Sunday. “As the war has grinded on, justice is beginning to seem more like cruelty,” “The Daily Show” host said on Monday night.

Nick Cave has announced a European solo live tour for this summer – you can find all the details below.The Bad Seeds frontman is due to hit the road in June for a run of headline dates, where he’ll be “performing songs from his extensive catalogue”. Cave will be accompanied on stage by Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood.He’ll begin the forthcoming stint with three shows at the Onassis Stegi venue in Athens, Greece on June 1, 2 and 3 before an appearance at the Belgrade River Fest in Serbia on June 18.Two further performances are scheduled for Musiikkitalo in Helsinki, Finland (June 25) and the Harpa concert hall in Reykjavík, Iceland (July 1).Tickets go on sale at 10am local time this Friday (April 12) – you’ll be able to buy yours here.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Worldwide box office is headed for a marginal decline of 3% in 2024, a setback that follows three years of recovery from a pandemic era low in 2020. Gower Street Analytics, a distribution and exhibition industry consultancy, forecasts that worldwide box office this year will aggregate at $32.3 billion, down by more than $1 billion from the $33.9 billion earned in 2023. “A $32.3 billion global box office in 2024 would represent an approximate 5% decrease year-on-year (a 3% decrease at current exchange rates) from 2023. The 2024 revised estimate is 18% lower than an average of the last three pre-pandemic years (2017-2019),” Gower Street said. The forecast comes on the eve of CinemaCon, the annual National Association of Theater Owners convention, being held in Las Vegas April 8-11. While Gower Street’s forecast is for a marginal decline, it actually represents a more than $1 billion improvement on its previous $31.5 million forecast for 2024.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Women’s pro hoops are coming back to Amazon‘s Prime Video for at least two more years. Prime Video and the WNBA on Friday announced a rights renewal deal under which Prime Video will continue to be the exclusive U.S. streaming partner for a package of 21 games each season, including the Championship Game of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup.

Naman Ramachandran U.K.-based sales agent Reason8 Films has sold 2023 Venice title “The Red Suitcase” to HBO for Europe and Suraya Filem for Malaysia and Brunei. The 15 territories covered under the HBO deal include Albania, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Moldova, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and Bulgaria. Reason8 Films said that advanced negotiations are on for North America and Latin America.

One day after José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen confirmed that seven of its team providing food in Gaza were killed in an Israel Defense Forces strike, President Biden called Andrés personally to tell the celebrity chef he was “heartbroken” by the news.

EXCLUSIVE: The Hallyu march continues this week, as a major Korean content streaming service continues its global rollout.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter After three days of release, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” stands as the third-highest-grossing movie of the year. It has collected a mighty $194 million globally in its opening weekend, ranking behind only “Dune: Part Two” ($626 million after five weeks of release) and “Kung Fu Panda 4” ($347 million after four weeks of release) in terms of overall ticket sales. The monster mashup, from Warner Bros.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent “Dahomey,” the Berlinale Golden Bear-winning film helmed by French-Senegalese director Mati Diop, has been sold to a raft of international territories by Les Films du Losange. Along with being acquired by Mubi in key markets, “Dahomey” has been acquired in Australia & New Zealand (Rialto), China (Hugoeast), Spain (Filmin), Portugal (Nitrato Filmes), Greece (One From the Heart), Scandinavia (NonStop Entertainement), Benelux (Cinéart), Bulgaria (Beta Films), Ex-Yugoslavia (Discovery), Hungary (Mozinet), Czech Republic (Film Europe), Romania (Voodoo), Baltic Countries (Taip Toliau), Poland (New Horizons), Ukraine (Kyivmusicfilm), Taiwan (Joint Entertainment), Indonesia (PT Falcon) and Sudu Connexion in Africa.

The world premiere of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is here!

“British storytelling is at growing risk of being squeezed out in an extraordinarily competitive global media landscape,” the BBC Director General will warn in a landmark speech tomorrow that will set out how to “radically transform and renew” the 100-year-old corporation.

The Kills have added new shows to their upcoming 2024 UK and Europe tour.The indie duo consisting of Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince will return to the UK this spring to tour their latest album ‘God Games‘. The pair have just wrapped up their US leg touring with support act Heartworms.Now, The Kills have announced some new dates to add to their upcoming UK/EU tour.

EXCLUSIVE: The CW has rounded out the series regular cast of The Librarians: The Next Chapter. Callum McGowan, Olivia Morris, Bluey Robinson and Caroline Loncq join previously announced Jessica Green and guest star Christian Kane, who reprises his role as Jacob Stone, in the spinoff series.

After a wait that felt like years, Lucasfilm finally unveiled the first look and trailer of the new “Star Wars” mystery thriller, “The Acolyte.” With the veil on the shadowy, secretive project lifted, the show’s creator, Leslye Headland (“Russian Doll”), could finally delve into the series’ details. In A new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Headland spoke about the series’ influences, such as “Kill Bill” and “Rashomon,” and how exactly she pitched the idea to Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy.