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Exclusive:Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks has licenced key territories in Cannes to Scott Free Productions’ thriller 55, which Quiver Distribution will release in North America later this year.

Guido Rud and his team has struck all-rights deals with Falcon for Middle East, Autumn for Japan, Av Jet and Cola Film for Taiwan, CineMundo for Portugal, and Kinologistica for Russia/Cis and Baltics.

The distributors plan theatrical releases in the third and fourth quarter of this year, and discussions are ongoing with buyers in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Scandinavia, and China.

Shyam Madiraju directed the story of a pickpocketing gang that names their members after numbers.

As Yellowjackets fans eagerly await Season 3, Showtime has been hit with a lawsuit claiming the idea for the Emmy-nominated series was stolen from the 2015 Shyam Madiraju-helmed survival thriller Eden.

Filed Nov. 14 in New York federal court, the copyright infringement lawsuit also names Lionsgate and show creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, alleging that Yellowjackets “borrows heavily from Eden to the point at which they are substantially similar.”

“Comparing the Film to the Show’s plots, setting, mood, pace, stories, characters, sequence of events, themes, and scene/dialogue similarities, demonstrates that the two works, in most respects, are identical,” reads the complaint. “These substantially, strikingly similar elements leave little doubt that most substantive elements of Yellowjackets are copied from Eden.”

The lawsuit — which cites common themes, plot points, setting, characters, mood and pacing — seeks unspecified damages and an injunction barring Showtime and the other defendants from further exploiting the series.

A lawsuit has been filed that alleges Showtime and Lionsgate's hit television series Yellowjackets ripped off the 2015 film Eden. The complaint says that the two works are "in most respects... identical."

According to Entertainment Weekly, a complaint was filed in California federal court on Friday by plaintiff Eden Film Production LLC claiming that Showtime's Yellowjackets is "substantially similar" to the Eden film and has violated its copyright enough to merit litigation. Showtime, Lionsgate, Yellowjacket series creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson and two production companies were named in the complaint as defendants.

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Eden Film Production LLC alleges that "plots, setting, mood, pace, stories, characters, sequence of events, themes, and scene/dialogue...

Exclusive: Quiver Distribution has taken North American distribution rights on 55, the Indian-American thriller filmmaker Shyam Madiraju has made for Scott Free Productions.

The deal was negotiated by Guido Rud and Matias Fontenla of FilmSharks and Tj Smith and Larry Greenberg of Quiver Distribution. The company plans to release the film in 2025.

The film tells the story of an organized pick pocketing gang that names their members after numbers. Synopsis reads: 55, an orphan teenage pickpocket working the streets of Mumbai, embarks on a life-altering journey after meeting the daughter of one of his victims.

The film was exec produced by Paul Feig. Madiraju is best known for his last feature Eden and previously served as an exec producer on Cake starring Jennifer Aniston.

“55 is such a masterful film that delivers in so many ways,” Feig said of the pic. “It’s an emotional crowd-pleaser, a sometimes scary, sometimes funny, and always...

Filmsharks subsidiary The Remake Co. has struck deals on Latin American hits led by a US deal on Argentinian box office smash A Boyfriend For My Wife.

Impossible Garden’s Andy Schefter has optioned English-language remake rights and will produce with New Rebellion Entertainment’s Tim Sullivan, who co-wrote the screenplay with Cooper Tomlinson.

Juan Taratuto’s original film has inspired numerous similar deals, including in Spain with Robot Dreams producer Arcadia Motion Pictures and Universal.

It tells of a shy man who looks to break up his intense marriage by hiring a very peculiar old school ladies man to...

Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks subsidiary The Remake Company has closed a remake deal with Italy’s Marco Belardi and his new label Bamboo Prod. for Ariel Winograd’s latest film “Today We Fix the World” (“Hoy se Arregla el Mundo”).

Produced by powerhouse shingle Patagonik, the family dramedy was picked up by Netflix for several key territories after its theatrical release by Disney’s Star early this year.

Mexico’s BH5 has also acquired the remake rights and is about to produce its version while talks are underway with Korean and French companies, said FilmSharks founder and CEO, Guido Rud. Winograd is already a known quantity in Italy. His last film “Ten Days Without Mom” topped the box office in Italy when it was released.

Dramedy stars Leonardo Sbaraglia from “Wild Tales” and “Pain and Glory” who finds out that he’s not the biological father of the nine-year-old boy at home.

Versus Entertainment has brought on board Decentraland and Lumiere to develop metaverse and Nft angles for its ongoing film project “The Infinite Machine.”

“The Infinite Machine” is a film adapted from Camilla Russo’s book of the same title which is now being produced by Versus with Ridley Scott’s production company Scott Free. It tells the story Vitalik Buterin, the controversial co-founder of Ethereum, the world’s second largest digital asset.

Decentraland operates a virtual world that uses open-source technology, allowing it to be expanded by member users. The platform is also owned and operated by the same users, using blockchain, rather than by a parent company.

The agreement between Versus and Decentraland will see the film and its Nft collection developed and integrated into the Decentraland metaverse. Lumiere, a Hong Kong- and Singapore-based entertainment specialist, is supporting the project by developing and integrating the experience of the film...

Exclusive: Scott Free Productions has come aboard to produce an film adaptation of the bestselling book The Infinite Machine, from cryptocurrency journalist Camila Russo.

Written with the verve of such works as The Big Short, The History of the Future and The Spider Network, here is the fascinating, Russo’s book charts the rise of Ethereum, the second-biggest digital asset in the world, the growth of cryptocurrency, and the future of the internet as we know it.

The story of Ethereum begins with Vitalik Buterin, a gifted 19-year-old autodidact who saw the promise of blockchain when the technology was in its earliest stages. He convinced a crack group of coders to join him in his quest to make a super-charged, global computer.

The film will be written for the screen and directed by Shyam Madiraju, with Ridley Scott, Tom Moran and Vera Meyer of Scott Free producing alongside Alejandro Miranda of Versus Entertainment.

FIlmSharks (exclusive)

Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks’ The Remake Co. has struck international deals on a quartet of comedies led by Ariel Winograd’s No Kids and That’s Not Cheating.

Guido Rud and his team have sold remake rights on No Kids to India’s Germ, which has offices in the subcontinent and the US. Shyam Madiraju (who produced Jennifer Aniston drama Cake) will produce the story based on the 2015 Argentina-Spain original about a man who is swept off his feet by a new lover and does not tell her about his young daughter.

The South Korean remake is set to...

Emraan Hashmi is back with 2 major projects - Mumbai Saga and Chehre - ready for release. There are unconfirmed reports that suggest Emraan could play Salman Khan's villain in Tiger 3. He also has a supernatural thriller titled Ezra coming up.

As per modest trade estimates, the actor has Rs 200-250 crore riding on him. Emraan is more interested in the audience reaction to his upcoming mix of films.

"This year is interesting. I am very proud of these releases. There is Mumbai Saga, Chehre and the horror film, Ezra. It's a mixed bag and I am waiting for them to release and have people enjoy them. After 20 days of Mumbai Saga releasing, we have Chehre coming. I am looking forward to my films," he says.

His forthcoming roster is spread over the next several months and could define the shape of things to come for the actor, who...

The two companies have entered into a slate co-financing deal for projects in Indonesia, Vietnam and Turkey.

South Korea’s leading film studio Cj Entertainment and LA-based local-language content financier Library Pictures International (Lpi) have entered into a multi-year, multi-picture slate co-financing deal covering local-language film productions in Indonesia, Vietnam and Turkey.

Coming on the heels of Cj Entertainment’s multiple Oscar wins with Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite, the deal will see Lpi fund up to 50% of the budget of Cj Entertainment-led local-language productions in each of these three markets where Cj has been investing with an interest in the territories’ rapid growth.

Library Pictures International, a Los Angeles-based local-language content financier has struck a deal with Cj Entertainment, the South Korean studio behind Oscar-winner “Parasite,” to co-finance its production in Indonesia, Vietnam and Turkey.

Library, which is itself backed by Legendary Pictures, will fund up to 50% of the budget of Cj Entertainment-led local-language productions in each of the three markets. Few deal terms were disclosed, though they were described as a “multi-year, multi-picture” agreement.

Cj-cgv, a sister company within the Cj Group, has acquired or developed multiplex cinemas in multiple developing markets, including Indonesia, Vietnam and Turkey. It has followed those initial moves by developing film distribution and production activities in each of them.

It backed Joko Anwar’s “Satan’s Slaves,” the highest-grossing horror film of all time in Indonesia. Several others have been localized versions of Cj Entertainment’s original Korean-language intellectual properties, including “Sweet 20,” a Vietnamese version of nostalgic hit “Miss Granny.

Financier Library Pictures International and Korean studio Cj Entertainment, producer of the multi-Oscar winner Parasite, have entered into a multi-year, multi-picture slate co-financing deal covering local-language film productions in Indonesia, Vietnam and Turkey.

Under terms of the deal, Library will fund up to 50% of the budget of Cj Entertainment-led local-language productions in each of the three growing markets.

Cj Entertainment has actively expanded its presence in Southeast Asia and Turkey, producing such films as Satan’s Slaves, the highest-grossing horror film of all time in Indonesia; six of the top 20 local films in Vietnam, including Sweet 20, one of their highest-grossing films of all time, and a re-make of their hit Korean film Miss Granny; and investing in and distributing hit films Aile Arasinda and Kogustaki Mucize in Turkey in the last couple of years.

“Cj Entertainment has been a powerful supporter of creative voices, not only in Korea but in several markets around the world,...

The makers released the trailer of Emraan Hashmi-starrer Harami. In the trailer, we see a group of orphaned teenage thieves who pick pockets for a living. They are led by an English-speaking crime lord, played by Emraan Hashmi.

One day, one of the teenage boys steals money from a middle-class man, who commits suicide after being robbed. The teenage boy then meets the daughter of the man he had robbed and has a change of heart. Seeking for redemption, he sets on a journey to correct things.

Harami is a hard-hitting, visually striking street saga of youth crime and broken destinies, love and redemption, played out against the vibrant backdrop of chaotic and relentless Mumbai.

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#harami trailer out now !! @mad_n_shy #haramitrailer

A post shared by Emraan Hashmi (@therealemraan) on Sep 28, 2020 at 1:27am Pdt

Harami is directed by Shyam Madiraju. The film...

Actor Emraan Hashmi on Monday shared his first look in the upcoming film, Harami. Sporting a salt-and-pepper look, Emraan sports long hair for his new role.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFHMFFIjYmF/

"Harami first look," he captioned the Instagram image.

Going by the comments, it seems most netizens are quite impressed by Emraan's look.

"Love it emiiii," actor Siddhant Kapoor commented.

"Love this look. Waiting for the movie," another user wrote.

"Harami" is an Indo-American production written and directed by Shyam Madiraju. It is a saga of youth crime and broken destinies, love and redemption, played out against the vibrant backdrop of Mumbai.

The film has also been selected to be a part of the main competition section (New Horizons) at Busan International Film Festival 2020.

Elated with the news, Emraan said: ""It was Shyam's script that really attracted me to his project. His obsession with details was very contagious. Kudos...

The Ananth Narayan Mahadevan directorial, Bittersweet, has been nominated for the Jiseok Award at the Busan International Film Festival this year. Bittersweet, an official selection, will also have its world premiere at the festival, and is among seven Indian films at a toned-down festival this year, to be held from October 21 to 30.

Chaitanya Tamhane's Venice award-winner "The Disciple", Shyam Madiraju's "Harami" starring Emraan Hashmi, Suman Mukhopadhyay's Bengali film "Captive" featuring Tanmay Dhanania, Sanal Kumar Sasidharan's "A'hr" starring Manju Warrier and Gaurav Ravi, Ivan Ayr's "Meel Patthar", and Prithvi Konanur's Kannada-language "Pinki Elli?" are the other Indian films at the prestigious Korean film festival in 2020.

Mahadevan is naturally happy. "It is indeed a great honour to be recognized at a top A-lister festival like the Busan International Film Festival, the biggest and most prestigious in the Asian continent. The concerted efforts to make a film...

The 25th edition of the Busan International Film Festival will shrink by a third and be presented in a hybrid in-person and offline format, due to the challenges posed by the coronavirus.

Running with newly announced dates of Oct. 21-30, the festival will present foreign titles as both opening and closing films.

It will open with “Septet: The Story of Hong Kong,” an omnibus film by filmmakers from Hong Kong: Sammo Hung, Ann Hui, Patrick Tam, Yuen Wo Ping, Johnnie To, Ringo Lam, and Hark Tsui, which was previously official selection of the Cannes Film Festival. The festival will close with animated Japanese film “Josee, the Tiger and the Fish,” directed by Tamaru Kotaro.

The reduced format means that most events involving human contact have been canceled. These include the opening and closing ceremonies, red carpet, receptions, and parties. On-stage greetings, the ‘Open Talk’ fan meetings and other guest meetings...

Company brings 10 recent sales acquisitions to the market also including feature animation The Summit Of The Gods.

Wild Bunch has boarded sales on Italian director Michele Placido’s upcoming drama Caravaggio’s Shadow, exploring the tempestuous life of the 17th-century painter.

It revolves around a secret Vatican investigation into Caravaggio, ordered by Pope Paul V as he debates whether to grant the artist clemency for murdering a love rival.

Riccardo Scamarcio plays Caravaggio opposite Louis Garrel as the investigator – known as The Shadow. Isabelle Huppert also features as a noblewoman who was a steadfast protector of the artist, hiding him...

Perhaps the most notable thing about Eden is how unremarkable it all feels. Don't get me wrong; this is a competently made thriller with some surprising and suspenseful moments, but it feels bogged down by a piecemeal script and cliché-driven characters. Despite some strong performances, Shyam Madiraju's film ends up feeling like a diluted blend of other movies. The result might just please the fan of testosterone-driven machismo, angry shouting and occasional punch-ups, but has little to offer a viewer searching for something new and interesting in the survival genre.

Early scenes introduce us to a Us soccer team as they board a private flight home following a victory on the pitch. We're provided some brief character interactions to let us know who's who, before the pla [Continued ...]...

Vertical Entertainment has taken North American rights to Shyam Madiraju’s thriller starring Ethan Peck, Jessica Lowndes, Diego Boneta, James Remar, Sung Kang, and Nate Parker .

Jaume Collet-Serra, Shyam Madiraju, Parker, Hernany Perla and Juan Sola produced the story of a divided group of plan crash survivors.

Vertical plans a third quarter theatrical release and Voltage Pictures handles international sales

“We are proud to be partnering with Voltage Pictures and Ombra Films on the release of this intriguing film,” said Vertical co-president Rich Goldberg (pictured).

“The dynamic storytelling and Lord Of The Flies appeal made Eden an instant draw and a strong addition to our 2015 slate.”

Goldberg and Vertical’s Peter Jarowey brokered the deal with CAA and Voltage.

Vertical Entertainment has announced the acquisition of the North American rights to "Eden," a thriller directed by Shyam Madiraju. The "Lord Of The Flies"-esque story follows the crew of an American soccer team after their plane crashes off the coast of a deserted island. The group separates into two factions, increasingly at odds as resources and food supplies begin to run out. Producer Juan Sola said about the deal: "We are excited to once again partner with Vertical Entertainment on the release of our survival thriller, 'Eden'. The collaboration on our first film 'Anna' was a great experience." The film stars Ethan Peck (grandson of Hollywood legend Gregory Peck), Jessica Lowndes ("90210"), Diego Boneta ("Rock of Ages"), James Remar, Sung Kang, and Nate Parker ("Beyond The Lights"). Vertical plans to release "Eden" in late 2015. Read More: Clarius Entertainment Acquires 'Cell', Starring Nicolas Cage and...

Shyam Madiraju’s Eden, which stars Ethan Peck, Jessica Lowndes, Diego Boneta, James Remar, Sung Kang and Nate Parker, has landed with Vertical Entertainment, which has acquired North American rights for the survival thriller. Written by Mark Mavrothalasitis and Parker and produced by Jaume Collet-Serra, Madiraju, Parker, Hernany Perla, and Juan Sola, the film will be released in theaters in the third quarter. Voltage Pictures is handling international sales during Berlin's European Film Market. Read more Berlin: 'Nobody Wants the Night' Director Isabel Coixet on the Lack of Female Directors (Q&A) The movie is from Ombra Films, the shingle of

read more...

There’s always room for Cake – especially now that the wider cast list of this upcoming independent film has been announced. The comedy-drama from director Daniel Barnz (Won’t Back Down) will soon be heading before the cameras with Jennifer Aniston in the lead role, but with a varied resume – swinging wildly from the tedious Bounty Hunter to the excellent Good Girl – an Aniston movie can go either way. Ultimately, it’s the script and supporting cast that determines which end of the quality spectrum the film swings toward.

In that regard, things are looking very good for Cake. The story sees a woman (Aniston) become fascinated with the suicide of a member of her chronic pain support group. Digging deeper into the dead woman’s life, she develops a relationship with her widower, while dealing with her own tragedies. Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect) will play the role of the suicidal group member,...

Jennifer Aniston has signed on to star in and executive produce the indie movie “Cake.” Daniel Barnz (“Won’t Back Down”) will direct from Patrick Tobin’s script, which was voted to the 2013 Black List. Aniston will play an acerbic woman named Claire who becomes fascinated by the suicide of Nina, a woman in her chronic pain support group. As she uncovers the details of Nina’s suicide and develops a poignant relationship with Nina’s husband, Claire also grapples with her own very raw personal tragedy. Ben Barnz will produce with Kristin Hahn and Courtney Solomon, while Shyam Madiraju and Mark Canton will join.

Alliance will see five films in production over the next 18 months, led by Cake starring Jennifer Aniston.

After Dark Films and China’s Shenghua Entertainment have struck a production alliance for a slate of films led by the Jennifer Aniston project Cake.

Pascal Borno and Scott Karol’s Conquistador Entertainment is handling sales on Cake at the Efm.

The production deal calls for five films in the dramatic, dark comedy and thriller genres over the next 18 months budgeted in the $7-10m range.

After Dark’s Courtney Solomon, who directed Getaway and An American Haunting, will produce through Cinelou Films, his new label with Mark Canton, and arranged the alliance with South China Media.

Wme Global represents Cinelou Films and will assist in sourcing and packaging material on the slate.

Cake is based on Patrick Tobin’s Black List screenplay about an acerbic woman who comes to terms with a tragedy in the fallout of an acquaintance...

Alliance will see five films in production over the next 18 months, led by Cake starring Jennifer Aniston.

After Dark Films and China’s Shenghua Entertainment have struck a production alliance for a slate of films led by the Jennifer Aniston project Cake.

Pascal Borno and Scott Karol’s Conquistador Entertainment is handling sales on Cake at the Efm.

The production deal calls for five films in the dramatic, dark comedy and thriller genres over the next 18 months budgeted in the $7-10m range.

After Dark’s Courtney Solomon, who directed Getaway and An American Haunting, will produce through Cinelou Films, his new label with Mark Canton, and arranged the alliance with South China Media.

Wme Global represents Cinelou Films and will assist in sourcing and packaging material on the slate.

Cake is based on Patrick Tobin’s Black List screenplay about an acerbic woman who comes to terms with a tragedy in the fallout of an acquaintance...

Alliance will see five films in production over the next 18 months, led by Cake starring Jennifer Aniston.

After Dark Films and China’s Shenghua Entertainment have struck a production alliance for a slate of films led by the Jennifer Aniston project Cake.

Pascal Borno and Scott Karol’s Conquistador Entertainment is handling sales on Cake at the Efm.

The production deal calls for five films in the dramatic, dark comedy and thriller genres over the next 18 months budgeted in the $7-10m range.

After Dark’s Courtney Solomon, who directed Getaway and An American Haunting, will produce through Cinelou Films, his new label with Mark Canton, and arranged the alliance with South China Media.

Wme Global represents Cinelou Films and will assist in sourcing and packaging material on the slate.

Cake is based on Patrick Tobin’s Black List screenplay about an acerbic woman who comes to terms with a tragedy in the fallout of an acquaintance...

Exclusive: Nicolas Chartier’s Voltage Pictures will start sales in Toronto on the thriller Eden produced by Non-Stop director Jaume Collet-Serra.

Production wrapped recently in Malaysia on the story of a Us football team that divides into two factions after a plane crash strands the players on a Pacific island.

Voltage will screen a trailer from Shyam Madiraju’s feature directorial debut starring Diego Boneta, Nate Parker, Mario Casas, Sung Kang and Ethan Peck.

Collet-Serra and Juan Solá are producing for Ombra Films alongside Hernany Perla, Madiraju, Parker and Mitali Kakhar and Al Kana of Yelo Productions.

Meanwhile Voltage, whose sales roster includes Toronto world premiere Dallas Buyers Club and Venice entry The Zero Theorem from Terry Gilliam, has concluded further deals on Paul Schrader’s Venice selection The Canyons starring Lindsay Lohan and James Deen.

Koch Media has acquired rights for the UK, Benelux and Scandinavia. Deals have closed in Germany (Ksm), Australia (Mediafuse), Japan (Klockworx...