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Exclusive: Gabriela Ortega (Huella), Bo Mitchell (Cobra Kai), Alice Kremelberg (The Sinner), Daryl “Chill” Mitchell and Oliver Yellin have joined the ensemble cast of the international thriller 52nd State.

Deadline first told you about the indie project, which is being directed by Netflix’s former longtime VP product Todd S. Yellin and is executive produced by Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings in his first credit as a producer.

Production is currently underway across Colombia and Costa Rica, with Bogota-based production company Jaguar Bite overseeing physical production.

The new cast additions join previously announced leads Moisés Arias, Teresa Ruiz, Ignacio Diaz-Silverio (Primo) and Ken Jeong.

Inspired by real events, 52nd State centers on Felipe, a disillusioned Costa Rican It worker who stumbles into a high-stakes scam operation that preys on vulnerable Americans.

As the scheme spirals out of control,...

“Not My Name,” the latest from Colombian powerhouse Dago García Producciones, and “High Tide” and “Name and Surname,” both from Evidencia Films, a driving force behind a new generation of Colombian filmmaking, feature among the wide-ranging lineup of fiction feature projects at this year’s Bogotá Audiovisual Market.

“Not My Name,” a coming of age drama thriller from Juan Paulo Laserna, joins Dgp credits that encompass Netflix hit “Eva Lasting” and co-production of “Memories of My Father,” “Birds of Passage,” “Litigante,” “Killing Jesus” and “Monos.”

Headed by Franco Lolli and Capucine Mahé, Evidencia Films’ has produced films by Juan Sebastián Quebrada and Simón Mesa Soto – both included in Variety’s New Generation of Colombian Directors to Watch.

“High Tide,” a maternity drama fromMariana Saffon, another director highlighted by Variety, was selected for 2025 Torino FilmLab’s Feature Lab and won an Artekino Intl. Prize at the San Sebastián Europe-Latin America Co-Production...

Reed Hastings, co-founder, chairman and former CEO of Netflix, has signed on as an executive producer of Costa Rica-set crime thriller “52nd State” — his first official credit as a producer on a film or TV show.

However, “52nd State” is not a Netflix production. The indie film is co-written and directed by Todd Yellin, a former longtime Netflix exec who served as VP of product before he exited in 2022 to pursue a career as a filmmaker.

According to the production’s reps, Hastings’ decision to join the project was “deeply personal” and driven by his attraction to the film’s “bold, high-stakes storytelling” and his long relationship with Yellin. Hastings, after 25 years at the helm of Netflix, in January 2023 stepped down as CEO of the company and now serves as chairman.

“At Netflix, Todd poured his creative energy into shaping the product experience and pioneering our personalization efforts — work that helped storytellers connect with millions,...

Mikey Madison has landed another buzzy project after nabbing the Oscar for her performance in “Anora.” The actor is in talks to lead A24 and Picturestart’s “The Masque of the Red Death,” writer/director Charlie Polinger’s wildly revisionist take on the short story of the same name by Edgar Allen Poe.

Madison replaces Sydney Sweeney, who sources say dropped from the project due to scheduling conflicts. Polinger and Lucy McKendrick will executive produce. A24 has acquired worldwide distribution rights for the film.

Polinger is currently in post-production on his film “The Plague,” which was made independently and stars Joel Edgerton. He is represented by UTA and Anonymous Content.

Madison will next star in “Reptilia” alongside Kirsten Dunst. The thriller tells the story of a dental hygienist who is seduced by a mysterious mermaid into the dark and wet underworld of Florida’s exotic animal trade. Alejandro Landes Echavarría,...

Netflix’s ambitious series adaptation of Nobel Laureate Gabríel Gárcia Marquez’s seminal novel ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ would take years of research, drawing extensively from museums, historical documents and historians.

The production was a massive collaborative effort, employing nearly 900 crew members, primarily Colombian, alongside 150 skilled artisans and thousands of extras. More than 850 local suppliers contributed to the ambitious task of constructing the legendary town of Macondo from the ground up, turning a cornerstone of Colombian literature into a tangible, culturally rich reality.

Most of the set pieces were handcrafted by artisans from across Colombia, preserving centuries-old ancestral traditions. Items such as baskets, iraca palm hats, hand-crocheted bags, musical instruments, hammocks, textiles, mats, and nets were created by Indigenous communities, including the Wayuu, Chimila and Kamsá.

The creative team underwent in-depth lessons on Colombian history, delving into events like the Thousand Days’ War, a devastating civil conflict central to Season One.

Mikey Madison has signed onto her first movie after winning an Academy Award for her performance in Anora. Demi Moore was widely expected to be named the Oscars' Best Actress at this year's awards, only for Madison to win instead. After Anora's five Academy Award wins and Madison walking away with Best Actress, there has been a great deal of speculation about what her next movie will be. She reportedly turned down a role in Shawn Levy's upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter movie starring Ryan Gosling.

According to Variety, Madison has now signed onto the thriller movie Reptilia alongside Kirsten Dunst. Reptilia tells the story of a mysterious mermaid who seduces a dental hygienist into the world of Florida's exotic animal trade. It will be directed by Alejandro Landes Echavarría, whose 2019 movie Monos starring Julianne Nicholson won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award after debuting at the Sundance Film...

Anora Oscar-winner Mikey Madison has found her next project, and it's certainly an unexpected choice.

Madison, who also played one of Scream 5's Ghostfaces, has landed the lead role in Reptilia alongside Spider-Man star Kirsten Dunst... who is set to play mermaid.

The movie "tells the story of a dental hygienist who is seduced by a mysterious mermaid into the dark and wet underworld of Florida’s exotic animal trade." Alejandro Landes Echavarría, who helmed acclaimed hostage drama Monos, will direct from a script by Landes Echavarría and Duke Merriman. Imperative Entertainment, Pastel and Af Films are set to produce, along with Landes Echavarría under his A Stela Cine banner.

That's pretty much all we have to go on for the time being, but this is an intriguing premise, and the script was clearly strong enough to pique Madison's interest. The 25-year-old has had her choice of roles since...

Mikey Madison has booked her first project after winning an Oscar for her breakout performance in Anora.

The 26-year-old actress will star opposite Kirsten Dunst in the upcoming thriller Reptilia, which will be directed by Alejandro Landes Echavarría.

Keep reading to find out more…

THR reports that the “story tells of a dental hygienist seduced by a mysterious mermaid into the dark and wet underworld of Florida’s exotic animal trade.”

Kirsten is playing the mermaid, according to reports.

Alejandro Landes Echavarría‘s movie Monos had its world premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and it won the Special Jury Award at the event. The film is currently streaming for free on Tubi.

In addition to her Oscar-winning role in Anora, Mikey is best known for the FX series Better Things and movies like Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood and Scream.

Mikey Madison has signed on to her first feature since winning the lead actress Oscar for Anora, and will star alongside Kirsten Dunst in Reptilia for Monos director Alejandro Landes Echavarría.

Charades will commence international sales in Cannes next week, with UTA Independent Film Group and 30West jointly handling US rights.

The film is based on a script by Landes Echavarría and Duke Merriman. Pastel, Imperative Entertainment, and Af Films will produce alongside Landes Echavarría through his A Stela Cine. Black Bear is providing financing.

Principal photography is scheduled to commence in the autumn on the story about a dental...

In her first deal since winning an Oscar for her performance in Anora, Mikey Madison has signed on to star in Reptilia, a unique thriller feature from Alejandro Landes Echavarría.

Kirsten Dunst is also starring in the indie that has a power producing team behind it, including Pastel (Moonlight), Imperative Entertainment (Killers of the Flower Moon) and international production company Af Films. Landes Echavarría is also producing via his A Stela Cine banner.

Black Bear is financing the title, which is set for a sales launch at the Cannes Film Market via Charades, UTA Independent Film Group and 30West.

Based on a script by Landes Echavarría and Duke Merriman, the story tells of a dental hygienist seduced by a mysterious mermaid into the dark and wet underworld of Florida’s exotic animal trade.

Principal photography will commence in the fall, according to the announcement.

Madison, already seen in key roles...

Mikey Madison may have found her first post-Oscar project: “Reptilia.” The “Anora” Best Actress winner will co-star alongside Kirsten Dunst in the latest film from director Alejandro Landes Echavarría (“Monos”), which will be presented to buyers at the Cannes Film Market beginning next week.

The film will be produced by Barry Jenkins’ Pastel, along with Imperative Entertainment, Af Films, and Black Bear, who is providing financing. Landes Echavarría will also produce under his A Stela Cine banner.

“Reptilia” is about “a dental hygienist who is seduced by a mysterious mermaid into the dark and wet underworld of Florida’s exotic animal trade.” Landes Echavarría co-wrote the script with Duke Merriman.

Principal photography is expected to begin this fall.

UTA Independent Film Group and 30West will co-handle US sales rights at Cannes, while Charades will handle international sales rights.

This is Dunst’s return to the state of Florida after starring...

Mikey Madison will follow up her Oscar-winning turn in “Anora” by co-starring with Kirsten Dunst in “Reptilia.” The thriller tells the story of a dental hygienist who is seduced by a mysterious mermaid into the dark and wet underworld of Florida’s exotic animal trade.

Alejandro Landes Echavarría, the filmmaker behind the hallucinatory hostage drama “Monos,” will direct the feature. “Reptilia” is based on a script by Landes Echavarría and Duke Merriman. Imperative Entertainment, Pastel and Af Films are set to produce, alongside Landes Echavarría under his A Stela Cine banner. Black Bear is providing financing.

UTA Independent Film Group and 30West will co-handle U.S. distribution rights. The film will be introduced to international buyers at the Cannes market by Charades. Principal photography will commence this fall.

Landes Echavarría’s previous film, “Monos,” premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award.

Fresh off her Oscar win for Anora, Mikey Madison is looking to build out her upcoming slate as she is set to star in Reptilia, the latest feature from filmmaker Alejandro Landes Echavarría. The film will co-star Kirsten Dunst and is based on a script by Landes Echavarría and Duke Merriman. Pastel, Imperative Entertainment and Af Films are set to produce alongside Landes Echavarría under his A Stela Cine banner. Black Bear is providing financing.

UTA Independent Film Group and 30West will co-handle U.S. distribution rights. The film will be introduced to international buyers at the Cannes Market by Charades. Principal photography will commence in the fall.

The film centers on a dental hygienist seduced by a mysterious mermaid into the dark and wet underworld of Florida’s exotic animal trade.

Landes Echavarría previously directed Monos, which premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema...

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As the leading man (and Best Actor-winner) for The Brutalist, it’s no wonder that Adrien Brody knows a little thing or two about timeless design. Stepping into his next big role, Brody is the face of travel brand Monos‘ new short film, taking to the streets of Morocco with their new Aluminum Luggage Collection by his side — and sharing thoughts on how globe-trotting can break down our (emotional) borders.

From ‘Bad Boys’ to ‘Fargo,’ Tubi is bringing a few great titles to streaming in January 2025. All titles below begin streaming for free on January 1 unless otherwise noted:

Originals Action Don’T Mess With Grandma (1/24):

A drunk Army ranger must fight off the vicious robbers who plan to loot the cabin belonging to his sweet, oblivious grandmother.

Documentary TMZ Presents: UFO Revolution S2 (1/15):

Embed with UFO journalist Jeremy Corbell on his mission for transparency culminating in the explosive November 13, 2024 UFO congressional hearing.

Thriller Sugar Mama (1/3):

When a businesswoman pursues a relationship with a sugar baby for research purposes, her curiosity with him spirals into obsession.

A Kill For A Kill (1/17):

A deceptive motivational speaker becomes entangled in a deadly game with a fan who suggests they kill each other’s spouses.

Happy Anniversary (1/31):

A young woman assumes three identities to prey upon the men who...

Tubi, Fox’s free streaming service, has announced its list of January titles. The Tubi January 2025 slate features new Tubi Originals, TV series, and numerous action, art house, Black cinema, comedy, documentary, drama, horror, kids and family, romance, sci-fi and fantasy, thriller, and Western titles.

As a leading ad-supported video-on-demand service, the company engages diverse audiences through a personalized experience and the world’s largest content library of over 250,000 movies and TV episodes, a growing collection of exclusive Originals, and nearly 250 live channels.

You can watch the Tubi January 2025 lineup for free on Android and iOS mobile devices, Amazon Echo Show, Google Nest Hub Max, Comcast Xfinity X1, and Cox Contour.

You can also watch the service on connected television devices such as Amazon Fire TV, Vizio TVs, Sony TVs, Samsung TVs, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and on the Tubi site.

Tubi Originals...

Montevideo, Uruguay — “As a meeting place, Ventana Sur was fantastic, the sales agent presence was good, focused on companies which really do buy, and the organization was impecable, run by highly dedicated and nice people,” said Antonio Saura, at Madrid-based sales agency Latido Films.

Most other attendees would buy into that.

Transferred for the first time since its launch in 2009 from its traditional Buenos Aires base to the heart of Uruguay’s Montevideo, this week’s Ventana Sur proved an upbeat affair, highlighting a clutch of titles likely to make A-List festival selection, plus some of the Latin America’s movers and shakers in the region and beyond, and the latest trends in an ever evolving regional industry.

Following, some first takeaways from Ventana Sur, Latin America’s weightiest film-tv market, co-hosted by the Cannes Festival’s Marché du Film, Uruguay’s Acau agency and Argentina’s Incaa.

Ventana Sur...

The toxicity of patriarchal masculinity has become such a well-worn trope in pop culture (and especially in recent Colombian cinema) that it’s hard to remember its effects continue unabated in streets and households all over the world, and in that Latin American country specifically. And so, while Fabián Hernández’s central concerns in his simply-titled film, “A Man” (“Un Varón”), are all too familiar, his tale of a young man living in a shelter in the center of Bogotá who cannot escape the violence of the world of the streets around him, emerges nonetheless as a powerful portrait of the country’s inescapable machismo.

When Carlos (Dilan Felipe Ramírez Espitia) sits down to get a haircut, he has only one request: He wants one fit for a “varón.” Yet the English translation (“a man”) doesn’t quite capture the specificity of such a word in Colombian slang, for “varón...

Exec has previously headed sales for HanWay, Protagonist and eOne.

Lemming Film, the Netherlands-based producer of festival titles including Sweet Dreams and Milk, has appointed Charlotte van Weede as managing director.

Van Weede was previously sales director for ITV Studios’s global entertainment division whose catalogue includes formats such as The Voice and Love Island.

Before that, she worked at Anton Capital as head of distribution and Global Road as president of international sales. Van Weede has also worked as a feature film consultant at the Dutch Film Fund and spent four years as SVP of eOne Features in London...

Mexico’s Guannaby Films and Colombia’s Dynamo have joined forces to make “The Last Circus.” Among the 10 feature film projects being presented at Iberseries & Platino Industria’s Co-Production and Financing Forum, it promises “magnetic, complex but fun characters in what is primarily a family tale,” said actor-producer Christian Tappan, co-founding partner of Guannaby Films alongside Luis Emilio Guzmán and Tiago Correa.

Written by Guzman and to be directed by “The Thin Yellow Line” helmer Celso Garcia, “The Last Circus” turns on Gerardo, a gypsy con artist, who has just lost his family’s circus business due to its mounting debt. A chance to redeem himself comes when he stumbles across the Heart of the Warrior, a priceless gem that has been stolen from a museum. Unfortunately, the jewel thieves will stop at nothing to recover their prized loot.

Garcia describes the project as a family tale “that explores human relationships,...

London- and Paris-based Film Constellation has boarded sales on 2D family animated feature “Carmen,” a contemporary adaptation of the opera, to be directed by 2023 Annecy Film Festival winner Sébastien Laudenbach. Variety revealed first details of the project last year exclusively.

Laudenbach, who won the best film award at Annecy for “Chicken for Linda!,” is teaming up with renowned French animation studio Folivari on “Carmen.”

It’s 1840 in Seville, a pulsating town of sailors and small-time crooks. Salvador, a young assistant to the gifted knife grinder Antonio, meets a captivating gypsy girl named Carmen. Her rapturous beauty and independent spirit are the talk of the town, but Antonio’s ability to glimpse the future foretells a tragic fate. With unwavering resolve, Salvador will muster an eclectic band of misfit kids, led by the spirited Belén, to protect Carmen against the unyielding threads of destiny, igniting the ancient city’s alleyways in a symphony of emotions.

The jokes will extend well past April 1st on HBO and HBO Max.

“Barry” returns for its fourth and final season. After the shocking Season 3 finale which saw Barry (Billy Hader) getting arrested and Cousineau (Henry Winkler) being hailed as a hero, there will be plenty of consequences for both. The dark comedy premieres on April 16 with two episodes.

“A Black Lady Sketch Show” will also bring plenty of laughs when it returns for its fourth season. The sketch comedy series premieres April 14.

On the drama side, the limited series “Love and Death” premieres on April 27. It’s based on the true story of Candy (Elizabeth Olsen) and Pat Montgomery (Patrick Fugit) and Betty (Lily Rabe) and Allan Gore (Jesse Plemons) – two churchgoing couples enjoying their small-town Texas life… until an extramarital affair leads somebody to pick up an axe.

For comic fans, the midseason premiere of the final season...

With its list of new releases for April 2023, HBO Max is premiering the final episodes of two major shows.

First up is the continuation of Titans season 4 on April 13. Returning after a four month hiatus, these next six episodes will be the last go around for HBO Max’s gritty live-action DC series. Arriving three days later on HBO proper is the fourth and final season of Barry. Bill Hader and the rest of the Barry team wrote themselves into a fascinating corner with the conclusion of season 3. And judging by the first teasers for season 4, this final batch of episodes will indeed catch up with our favorite actor/hitman in prison.

Other TV shows of note this month include the Pete Davidson-starring animated series Fired on Mars on April 20 (light ’em up) the the Elizabeth Olsen-starring true crime story Love & Death on April 27.

HBO Max’s...

Bill Hader stars in ‘Barry’ season 4 (Photograph by Merrick Morton/HBO)

Bill Hader returns for one final season of Barry and the popular sketch comedy A Black Lady Sketch Show kicks off its fourth season on HBO Max in April 2023. Additional highlights of the streaming service’s April lineup include the debut of Love & Death, a limited series starring Elizabeth Olsen and Patrick Fugit; season two of Somebody Somewhere with Bridget Everett; and the return of 100 Foot Wave for a second season.

In addition, the Titans mid-season premiere arrives on April 13. HBO Max offers this description of the fourth and final season’s remaining episodes: “The Titans – with the exception of Gar – are returned to the Temple of Trigon and rush to find Sebastian and Mother Mayhem before Sebastian summons Trigon. Along the way, they come across a prophecy that may require Kory to make a huge sacrifice to save the world.

In the final season of HBO Max’s “Barry,” premiering on April 16, Barry’s arrest for the murder of Cousineau’s girlfriend leads to a shocking conclusion. Barry (Bill Hader), a hitman who stumbles into acting, explores the dark, often comedic underbelly of both LA gangsters and Hollywood. Henry Winkler stars as Cousineau, Barry’s acting teacher and the man forced to confront the reality of his former student.

Watch the “Barry” season 4 trailer:

Another crime story will come to HBO Max in April, although this one is based on a true story. “Love & Death” revolves around the murder of Betty Gore (played by Lily Rabe) in a small Texas town in 1980. Her husband Alan (Jesse Plemons) has an affair with Candy (Elizabeth Olsen), who attends their church. Suddenly, the thrills turn deadly. Candy picks up an ax, whacks her rival over 40 times, and then claims self-defense. The new...

The new titles coming to HBO Max in April 2023 include streaming debuts of 2022 movies and highly anticipated premieres of the final chapters of beloved TV shows. March 2023 was a big month for HBO Max, as it featured The Last Of Us’ season 1 finale, Succession’s season 4 premiere, and Perry Mason’s season 2 debut. The streaming service also added the Oscar-winning documentary All the Beauty and the Bloodshed to its library, with more 2023 Oscar nominees like Elvis and The Banshees of Inisherin still available to watch on HBO Max in April.

Joining HBO Max’s catalog in April 2023 is the long-awaited premiere of the Elizabeth Olsen-starring limited series Love & Death on April 27. Before then, the mid-season premiere of the fourth and final season of HBO Max's Titans hits the streaming service on April 13. HBO Max’s April 2023 additions also include the TV show premieres of A Black Lady Sketch Show...

The BFI London Film Festival has revealed eight titles that will be in official competition.

The films include Santiago Mitre’s political drama “Argentina, 1985” (Argentina); Clement Virgo’s brotherly love tale “Brother” (Canada); Marie Kreutzer’s irreverent period drama “Corsage” (Austria-Luxembourg-Germany-France); Fyzal Boulifa’s atmospheric domestic drama “The Damned Don’t Cry” (France-Belgium-Morocco); Mark Jenkin’s folk horror tale “Enys Men” (U.K.); Hlynur Palmason’s historical epic “Godland” (Denmark-Iceland-France-Sweden); Soudade Kaadan’s poignant family film “Nezouh” (U.K.-Syria-France); and Alice Diop’s courtroom drama “Saint Omer.”

The nominated films are all on the festival circuit this year. “Argentina, 1985” and “Saint Omer” are debuting at Venice and both are up for the Golden Lion. “The Damned Don’t Cry” and “Nezouh” are also set for Venice bows. “Brother” will bow at Toronto, while “Corsage” won best performance at Cannes and best actress at Sarajevo for Vicky Krieps. “Enys Men” and “Godland” were also in Cannes.

Celebrated Uruguayan producer Fernando Epstein, co-founder of Mutante Cine, one of Latin America’s key arthouse outfits, is entering into TV fiction creation with thriller drama series “La tinta invisible” (“The Invisible Link”).

The show is a two-season series based on two novels by Uruguayan author Eduardo Mariani that go through part of the recent history of South America, linked to Europe through the exile of some of its characters.

The project, at an early development stage, will be pitched at the Co-Pro Series session during the 6th edition of Conecta Fiction & Entertainment forum, which runs June 21-25 in Toledo, Spanish region Castilla-La Mancha’s capital city.

Toledo will be “The Invisible Link’s” first participation in the international market.

Epstein has been a film producer and editor since 2000, with more than 50 credits and several awards at A-class festivals, having produced and edited significant Latin American titles such as “Whisky” and “Gigante.

Notebook is covering the Cannes Film Festival with an ongoing correspondence between critics Leonardo Goi and Lawrence Garcia, and editor Daniel Kasman.La Jauría.Dear Danny and Lawrence, By the time you’ll read this, the Croisette will be a distant place and a faraway memory. I’m writing my last dispatch from a press room that’s gearing up for the awards ceremony; another couple of hours and it’ll be crammed with people cheering, booing, and shouting, a pandemonium in the vein of Triangle of Sadness. I’m sure you’ll have plenty of final thoughts to share tomorrow, Lawrence; for my part, all I’ll say is that the 75th Cannes Film Festival struck me as a relatively underwhelming affair, especially when compared to more ebullient recent editions. The official competition proved particularly disappointing. There are films I look forward to re-watching as soon as possible (Cronenberg...

Out in the jungle, no one can hear you dragging a body around. Mind you, nobody notices much what you do in the city, either. Colombian director Andres Ramirez Pulido’s debut feature, La Jauria, screening in Critics’ Week at Cannes, opens with a grab-bag of images familiar from current Latin American cinema — a couple of teenage boys in neon-lit urban darkness, some elaborate sniffing and nose-wiping, a bike that shouts “stolen” as they careen down a highway — but soon detours into stranger and much more remote territory. One thing you can be sure of: wherever they are, these boys are going to be in trouble.

Where they are, once that opening sequence has set a scene that will immediately be ripped from beneath our feet, is mysterious. Eliu (Jhojan Estiven Jiminez) previously seen under a streetlight with a bottle in his hand, is one of a gang working around a decrepit hacienda,...

The adaptation of Deborah Levy’s novel will be directed by Justin Anderson.

Ariane Labed, Christopher Abbott and Mackenzie Davis have signed to star in Justin Anderson’s directorial debut Swimming Home, which Bankside Films is introducing to international buyers at Cannes. US rights are being co-repped by UTA Independent Film Group and WME Independent.

The film is an adaptation of the Man Booker Prize-nominated novel of the same name by Deborah Levy and is a dark comedy about a troubled married couple and their teenage daughter whose holiday is transformed by the naked stranger they find floating in the pool of their villa.

Derk-Jan Warrink, co-founder of Keplerfilm, will represent The Netherlands as Producer on the Move at the Cannes Film Festival, May 17–28. The coproduction ‘The Woodcutter Story’**, directed by Mikko Myllylahti is set to premiere in Cannes’ Semaine de la Critique. Keplerfilm will also celebrate the world premiere of Fleur van der Meulen’s debut feature ‘Pink Moon’** at Tribeca next month and Michiel ten Horn’s family film ‘Hotel Sinestra’** is currently in post-production.

Derk-Jan Warrink

www.see-nl.com

Besides Derk-Jan’s place in Cannes this year, Netherlands has secured a place in the Festivl Competition with Close directed by Lukas Dhont, a coproduction of Belgium, Netherlands, France. Internationl sales agent (Isa) The Match Factory is selling this story of Leo and Remi, two thirteen-year-old boys whose close friendship suddenly thrown into disarray as the prospect of adolescence looms. Trying to understand what has gone wrong, Leo seeks comfort and grows closer to Remi’s mother, Sophie, as the boys pursue forgiveness and reconciliation to try and get their friendship back together. Lukas Dhont directs from a screenplay by Dhont and Angelo Tijssens, reteaming after their first feature film Girl.

Directors’ Fortnight is screening A Male/ Un varón directed by Fabian Hernández, a coproduction of Colombia, France, Germany, and Netherlands. Critics’ Week Competition is premiering The Woodcutter Story / Metsurin tarina directed by Mikko Myllylahti, a copro of Finland, Denmark, Netherlands, and Germany.

In L’Atelier is Anna 1st directd by Rosanne Pel of Netherlands.

To return to Derk-Jan who founded Keplerfilm together with Koji Nelissen in 2016 after having worked on award-winning films such as The Lobster* (by Yorgos Lanthimos), Bullhead (Michaël R. Roskam), Blind* (Eskil Vogt) and Monos** (Alejandro Landes), Keplerfilm has established itself as a (co-)production company of high-quality independent international feature films such as Semaine de la Critique 2021 Grand Prize winner Feathers* (Omar El Zohairy), Netflix Original Captain Nova** (Maurice Trouwborst) and Buladó** (Eché Janga) which was awarded Best Film at the National Film Awards.

Keplerfilm strongly values building a creative breeding ground on which exceptional and talented writers and directors can grow to their full potential, with an eye for an equal number of female and male directors. They have founded a writer’s residency which offers filmmakers the opportunity to work on a film plan for a month. Keplerfilm focuses on feature film and has the ambition to tell stories about real people, with inescapable struggles and genuine desires, while at the same time always aiming to entertain the audience intellectually.

Derk-Jan Warrink is one of the in total 20 promising, up-and-coming European producers who have been selected for Producers on the Move, European Film Promotion’s high profile hybrid promotion and networking platform. The exclusive group of producers will be put in the spotlight before and during the Cannes Film Festival and take part in a tailor-made hybrid program in order to foster international co-productions, intensify the exchange of experiences and help create new professional networks. The Pre-Festival online program, which started May 3rd and runs until May 5th, includes 1:1 speed meetings, roundtables and pitching sessions. Producers will then meet personally during the Festival de Cannes from 19 to 23 May and take part in a five-day on-site program including case studies, social events and an extensive promotional campaign via the international trade magazines.

Previous Producers on the Move from the Netherlands include Iris Otten of Juliet — Pupkin(2021), Joram Willink of Bind Film (2019), Frank Hoeve of Baldr (2018), Julius Ponten of New Amsterdam Film Company (2017), Janneke Doolaard of Doxy Films (2016), Ellen Havenith of Prpl (2015), Harro van Staverden of Phanta Basta (2014), Marleen Slot of Viking Film (2013) and Trent of Oak Motion Pictures (2012).

*supported by the Netherlands Film Fund

**supported by the Netherlands Film Fund and Netherlands Production Incentive

Derk-Jan Warrink, Keplerfilm

Ph: +31 20 737 0608

derkjan@keplerfilm.com

www.keplerfilm.com

European Film Promotion

info@efp-online.com

www.efp-online.com

See Nl, a collaboration between Eye Filmmuseum and the Netherlands Film Fund, is dedicated to the international promotion of Dutch films, film professionals and film culture.

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Unspooling March 21-25, the Malaga Festival Fund & Co-Production Event project (Maff) provides a forum for Latin American film projects to seek international production partnerships. Costa Rican productions will be highlighted by subsection Costa Rica Guest Country.

The socially impactful film “Silence of the Earth” will feature in the Maff Social subsection. Female directors earn special emphasis in the Women Screen Industry section.

Following, the profiles of Maff production.

“All My Journey Are Journeys of Return,”

A time-jumping, genre-blending “delirious adventure,” say its makers, from Los Niños Films and Vorágine, currently in production on the World Cinema Fund-backed “Carropasajero.” It depicts a journey which begins in the Rio Magdalena, in the early 19th century, during a search for poet Gaspar de la Noche, who has gone missing in northern Sweden. Carolina Zarate produces.

“Before the Memory,”

Shepherded by Agustina Chiarino, one of Uruguay’s most ambitious film producers, González’s...

Betty Gilpin is set to star in the series “Blood Sugar” that is currently in development at HBO, Variety has learned.

In the series, when the Sharks of “Shark Tank” laugh the delightful Margot Schultz (Gilpin) and her frozen food business off stage, little do they know they’re setting in motion one of the bloodiest and wildest rises to fame and fortune this country has ever seen.

The project is co-written by Duke Merriman and Preston Thompson, both of whom also executive produce. Gilpin will executive produce in addition to starring. Claire Wilson will executive produce and serve as showrunner. Lucy Tcherniak will direct and executive produce. Megan Ellison, Sue Naegle, Ali Krug, and Patrick Chu will executive produce for Annapurna, with Bryan Unkeless and Scott Morgan executive producing for Clubhouse Pictures.

This is the latest TV project Gilpin has lined up recently, with the actress also set to...

HBO is developing Blood Sugar, a series starring and executive produced by Emmy-nominated Glow alumna Betty Gilpin, from Annapurna.

In Blood Sugar, written by Duke Merriman (Monos) and Preston Thompson (Kids In Love), when the Sharks of Shark Tank laugh the delightful Margot Schultz and her frozen food business off stage, little do they know, they’re setting in motion one of the funniest, bloodiest and wildest rises to fame and fortune this country has ever seen.

Claire Wilson (Gangs of London) serves as showrunner on the project with Lucy Tcherniak (Angelyne) set to direct. The two executive produce with Gilpin, Merriman and Thompson as well as Megan Ellison, Sue Naegle, Ali Krug and Patrick Chu for Annapurna, and Bryan Unkeless and Scott Morgan for Clubhouse Pictures.

For Gilpin, Blood Sugar joins a packed slate. She plays one of the leads of Showtime’s upcoming drama series Three Women, based...

Keep track of all the submissions for best international feature at the 2022 Academy Awards.

Entries for the 2022 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.

Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry

The 94th Academy Awards will take place on March 27, 2022 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. This is the first time since 2018 that the ceremony will take place in March, having moved to avoid conflicting with the Winter Olympics.

An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly non-English dialogue...

Previous selections include Crip Camp, Miss Juneteenth, Swallow, The Truffle Hunters.

Gotham Film & Media Institute has announced the announced its slate of 135 international and US features, series and audio projects for this year’s virtual event that runs September 19-24.

The meetings-driven forum says it is the only international co-production market in the US featuring stories for multiple platforms, and hosts scheduled artist and industry meetings dedicated to furthering the work and careers of independent artists.

Previous selections include Crip Camp, (pictured), Miss Juneteenth, Monos, Swallow, My Salinger Year, and The Truffle Hunters.

Gotham Week will also feature a roster of panels,...

It’s the start of July in southeast London, and Mica Levi is enjoying a rare, semi-hot day in their garden. They can’t quite remember when they handed in the final music files for Zola. “It’s kind of a bit of a blur, to be honest with you,” Levi tells Rolling Stone, adding that they didn’t know the film hit theaters this week: “Is it out yet?”

“That’s cool,” the musician-turned-composer says in a disarmingly bashful manner when a journalist and complete stranger informs them of...

This review was initially published timed to the show’s premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.

Sublimely specific in content yet boasting wide appeal, Colombian filmmaker Esteban Arango’s “Blast Beat” expands on his short film with the same title (and starring the same co-leads) for a terrific bilingual debut that keenly scrutinizes the American Dream, those who pursue it vehemently, and the ones who reject it as the sole avenue to fulfillment.

Fleeing extortion in Bogota, Colombia, the upper-middle-class Restrepo teen brothers, Carlos Andres (Mateo Arias) and Mateo Adrian (Moises Arias), and their mother Nelly land in sultry Georgia to meet their father, played by Venezuelan-American actor Wilmer Valderrama in a rare but excellent dramatic turn charged with measured warmth and aggravation. It’s 1999, and the Eln armed group wrecks havoc in the South American nation.

Opposing forces fueled by rampant testosterone, the young men maintain a rivalrous relationship which,...

Participant’s Laura Kim has been promoted to executive vice president of marketing.

The seven-year-veteran of the company had previously served as a senior vice president in film marketing. She will continue to report to the company’s worldwide marketing president Christina Kounelias.

“Laura has become a good friend and trusted colleague for the past five years that we have worked closely together. Her vast knowledge and deep expertise in independent, specialty and international films is second-to-none, contributing greatly to the success of our films,” said Kounelias. “Her strategic thinking, great devotion to mentorship and genuine passion for impact and the issues match Participant’s core values, and on behalf of everyone at the company, we are thrilled to recognize her numerous contributions with this promotion.”

In her new role, Kim assumes expanded duties in independent and international film and series projects at the studio, founded with a mission to...

Participant has promoted veteran executive Laura Kim to executive vice president of marketing, the company announced on Tuesday.

Kim, who first joined Participant in 2014, will focus on independent and international films and series, reporting to Christina Kounelias, Participant’s president of worldwide marketing.

“Laura has become a good friend and trusted colleague for the past five years that we have worked closely together,” Kounelias said in a statement. “Her vast knowledge and deep expertise in independent, specialty and international films is second-to-none, contributing greatly to the success of our films. Her strategic thinking, great devotion to mentorship and genuine passion for impact and the issues match Participant’s core values, and on behalf of everyone at the company, we are thrilled to recognize her numerous contributions with this promotion.”

“I am excited to be working on films and series that move me and that challenge us to try harder and do better,...

Marketing and publicity veteran Laura Kim has been elevated to EVP of Marketing at Participant.

In her new position, Kim will assume broadened executive responsibilities, with a focus on independent and foreign films and series.

Kim first joined Participant as SVP of Film Marketing in 2014. During her tenure, she’s been key in working on the company’s specialty features, including such Oscar-winning films as American Factory, A Fantastic Woman, Spotlight, and Citizenfour, as well as Monos, Human Flow, and the Oscar-nominated films The Look of Silence and Rbg, the latter of which went on to become a documentary box office hit in 2018 with over $14M. Recent marketing efforts include two-time Oscar-nominated Collective, and the upcoming Final Account and My Name Is Pauli Murray, which had its world premiere this year at the Sundance Film Festival.

Prior to joining Participant, Kim was principal and founder of Inside Job, a motion picture marketing,...

Executive joined in 2014.

Participant has promoted marketing and publicity veteran Laura Kim to EVP of marketing, effective immediately.

Kim will assume broadened executive responsibilities with a focus on independent and international films and series combining with impact work. She continues to report to Participant’s president of worldwide marketing Christina Kounelias.

She joined Participant as SVP of film marketing in 2014 and has played an instrumental role on most of the company’s specialty features, including American Factory, A Fantastic Woman, Spotlight, Citizenfour, as well as Monos, Human Flow, The Look Of Silence, and Rbg.

Most recently she has led marketing...

Participant has partnered with Neon on the North American distribution of Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s documentary, “Flee,” after its Sundance debut.

The film, a largely animated documentary about the life of a gay Afghan refugee, earned the grand jury prize in the World Cinema Documentary Competition category on Tuesday night, just hours after the new partnership was announced.

“We were awestruck by Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s beautiful and intimate Flee and are so proud to join with Neon in co-distributing this film,” Diane Weyermann, Participant’s Chief Content Officer, said in a statement announcing the partnership.

“We are extremely happy to continue our collaboration with Participant which began with the ‘Look of Silence,’” producers Signe Byrge Sørensen and Monica Hellström, of Final Cut For Real, said of the deal.

The experimental and critically acclaimed film was written by Rasmussen and Amin Nawabi (a pseudonym for the story’s central character...

Companies worked together on Monos, Totally Under Control.

Participant has partnered with Neon on the North American release of Jonas Poher Rasmussen’ Sundance selection Flee.

Neon acquired the film late last week following its world premiere in World Cinema Documentary Competition.

Rasmussen’s animation hybrid and Cannes Label selection centres on an Afghan refugee now living in Denmark.

The pseudonymous Amin Nawabi recounts harrowing episodes from his life to old school friend Rasmussen. Riz Ahmed and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau are executive producers.

Participant previously partnered with Neon on the Sundance 2019 entry Monos, and last year’s Totally Under Control.

Amanda Seyfried...

Spain’s The Mediapro Studio has sealed a production pact with Colombia’s Caracol Television in its continued bid to boost an already substantial presence in the Latin American market.

The first project out the gate is “Las Cheers,” a 60-episode musical comedy series created by Hector Rodriguez, which turns on a group of cheerleaders from a working-class hood who dream of representing their country at the Olympics.

The series is making its market debut at NATPE. “Caracol Television strengthens its brand every day worldwide, connecting with key allies to produce stories that transcend markets. Working hand in hand with The Mediapro Studio, joining creative forces to present ‘Cheers,’ represents a step forward in our goals,” said Lisette Osorio, VP of international sales, Caracol Television.

Juliana Barrera, director of content at The Mediapro Studio in Colombia concurred: “‘Cheers’ has all the elements required to captivate audiences: Love, music, dance and the chasing of big dreams,...

Paul Schneider, Shantel VanSanten, Kevin Corrigan, and Moises Arias will round out the cast of “American Murderer.”

They join previously announced stars Tom Pelphrey, Ryan Phillippe, Idina Menzel and Jacki Weaver in the story of a charismatic con man turned party king who bankrolls his high living through a series of scams.

The film is written and will be directed by Matthew Gentile, and is based on the true story of Jason Derek Brown. When Brown’s funds run low, he plots an elaborate scheme, one that makes him one of the FBI’s top ten fugitives. Principal photography has started in Salt Lake City, following Utah state and SAG/AFTRA Covid-19 protocols.

Schneider currently stars on Amazon’s “Tales from the Loop,” and is best known for his roles on NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” and Warner Bros.’ “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.” Other...

In a nod to the exponentially growing interest in premium TV content and the swelling number of content-ravenous platforms, the Guadalajara Film Festival (Ficg)’s industry section has launched a competitive television section dubbed Episode 0: Series in Development.

Its participants will be given the opportunity to network and vie for prizes that consist of post-production services worth a combined total of some $35,000 from Cinecolor Mexico and Shalala Studios. In addition, Colombia’s Pontifical Xavierian University offers a scholarship worth $2,800 to its prestigious The Series Lab, which aims to train showrunners and TV professionals, as well as accreditation in the Bogota Audiovisual Market (Bam).

The inaugural Episode 0 features seven Ibero-American projects in development, encompassing various genres: animation, dramas, thrillers and non-fiction. “This takes place now in November along with our Co-Production Encounter, while the other sections, DocuLab, Guadalajara Construye and Talents, were held in August or September,” said the festival’s industry head,...

Bookmark this page for all the latest international feature submissions.

Submissions for the best international feature film award at the 2021 Academy Awards have started to come in, and Screen is keeping a running list of each film below.

Scroll down for the full list

The 93rd Academy Awards is set to take place on April 25, 2021. It was originally set to be held on February 28, before both the ceremony and eligibility period were postponed for two months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Submitted films must have been released in their respective countries between the expanded dates of October 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020. (Last year it was October-September.

Ventana Sur’s Blood Window Works in Progress Screenings and Spotlight on International Projects sections have become standout events on the global genre films calendar. The event has matured in stature, but in content as well, featuring high-end content and expanding from a straight horror event to other genre areas such as science fiction and fantasy.

Internationally, the event has embarked on partnerships with the likes of Sitges Film Festival in Spain, Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in South Korea and the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (Bifff) in Belgium.

In recent years Blood Window has been less about the blood and more about the window into what haunts humanity. Science fiction and fantasy allegories have come into vogue, and while there is still plenty to be afraid of in Blood Window’s selection, there is more to think about.

As is the case every year, San Sebastian Film Festival...