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Panchkula — In the evolving expanse of Punjabi music, where sonic excess and lyrical tropes often dominate the airwaves, Jassi Virk—born Jasvir Singh—has quietly but firmly emerged as a compelling alternative. Born in Panchkula and now based in Mohali, Jassi Virk has quietly emerged as one of the most compelling voices in the evolving Punjabi music scene—blending classical depth with digital innovation

Raised amid the cadence of tabla and the mellow harmonies of the harmonium, Virk’s musical foundation was shaped in the traditions of Indian classical music. Yet, like many from his generation, he initially walked a different path—pursuing engineering before shifting course to study vocals formally, earning a Bachelor of Education. That pivotal decision marked more than just a career change; it signaled the beginning of an artistic evolution defined by fluidity, introspection, and fearless experimentation.

Virk’s music defies easy classification. From the soul-stirring...

Exclusive: Italy’s Minerva Pictures has struck a number of deals on its Cannes slate, including pre-sale on World War 2 drama Elena’s War.

Directed by Stefano Casertano, Elena’s War has pre-sold to Moving Story for Australia and New Zealand. Based on a true story, it is set in Rome during the Nazi occupation and is the story of an unconventional woman who unsuccessfully tried to warn that the Nazis would sweep the city’s ghetto of Jews.

Meanwhile, Minerva has sold Stefano Sardo’s erotic thriller Close To Me to Aya Pro for Japan, Doki Entertainment for South...

Italy’s Minerva Pictures has unveiled a slew of sales on its EFM slate including for Taavi Vartia’s Finnish survival thriller Ice Skater and Stefano Sardo’s erotic thriller Close To Me.

Ice Skater was acquired by Spain’s Inopia, Cis’s Magic Films, Latin America’s Clube Filmes, and by Foxx Vision for the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Now in post, Ice Skater stars Norwegian actress Thea Sofie Loch Næss as a woman who finds herself stranded on an ice floe in the Arctic Sea.

Close To Me, which is co-distributed with Tvco, was acquired for German-speaking countries by Splendid,...

Minerva Pictures has boarded Agostino, the next film from Venice competition regular Andrea Pallaoro, as well as Stefano Sardo’s erotic thriller Close To Me and Taavi Vartia’s Finnish survival thriller I

Minerva is pre-selling Agostino,about a13 year-old boy who idolises his widowed mother, until a young local man becomes her lover.

Pallaoro’s2022 film Monica and 2017 feature Hannah both played in competition at Venice.

The Italy-us co-production between Minerva and Melograno Films, it is based on the novel by Alberto Moravia.

Close To Me is the second film by Stefano Sardo and centres on acouple living together during the Covid lockdown,...

This past Friday marked the long-awaited release of The Cure’s Songs of a Lost World after a 16-year interval, and the verdict is in — it was worth the wait. Rolling Stone’s Rob Sheffield dubbed it “the Cure’s best since Disintegration,” calling it a “vividly propulsive space-rock goth elegy, eight songs in fifty minutes, kicking with a full-blooded band attack.” Fans seem to agree, as the album has rocketed past other recent releases to take the top spot on Amazon’s best-selling CDs and Vinyl charts.

Songs Of...

The Cure celebrated the arrival of their long-awaited and much-acclaimed new album Songs of a Lost World on Friday with a release-night, livestreamed London concert.

The three-hour concert, coming on the heels of a BBC gig two nights before, featured Robert Smith and company performing the new LP in order and in its entirety, including the live debut of album tracks “War Song,” “Drone:Nodrone,” and “All I Ever Wanted.”

The rest of the setlist included hits and fan favorites from the band’s extensive catalog, as well as a section...

The Cure celebrated their new album, Songs of a Lost World, with a marathon three-hour record release show at London’s Troxy that was also streamed live online and is available to replay in full below.

The evening began with a full performance of Songs of a Lost World, the band’s newly released first album in 16 years. From there, Robert Smith and co. played a set of classic hits and fan favorites, including tracks like “Plainsong,” “Pictures of You,” Lovesong,” “Fascination Street,” “Just Like Heaven,” and “Disintegration.”

The Cure then treated fans to a surprise five-song mini set of songs from their 1980 sophomore album, Seventeen Seconds, in celebration of its 45th anniversary, before closing the night with an encore that included “Lullaby,” “Friday I’m in Love,” and “Boys Don’t Cry.” All told, The Cure played a total of 31 songs over the course of the three-hour set.

Following a...

The Cure’s first new album in 16 years, Songs of a Lost World, drops tomorrow. To add the already incredibly high level of anticipation, the beloved goth band performed two intimate in-studio sessions for BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 6. Even better, both sets are available on-demand via BBC’s iPlayer.

The band recorded both performances on Wednesday, October 30th in front of a small crowd of lucky fans. The sets notably serve as The Cure’s first live performances in support of Songs of a Lost World, with the band performing cuts from the album as well as classics from their wider discography. See both setlists below.

Both sets, as well as the accompanying interviews with frontman Robert Smith, are available for fans to stream via the BBC iPlayer for 30 days. Stream The Cure’s BBC Radio 6 Music Session here, and stream The Cure’s BBC Radio 2 In Concert here.

In 2001, when The Cure released their Greatest Hits album, the band also returned to the studio to record new acoustic versions of 18 of their songs. Now, those recordings will finally become available on streaming services for the first time.

Dubbed Acoustic Hits, the album will arrive on streaming platforms on August 9th, per posts the band made on social media In anticipation of the release, they shared black and white videos of unplugged studio performances of several tracks. The first was “A Forest,” followed by “The Lovecats,” and, just yesterday, “Close To Me.” Watch the videos below.

Other songs on Acoustic Hits include “Just Like Heaven,” “Boys Don’t Cry,” “Friday I’m in Love,” and more. Check out the original artwork and tracklist below. Acoustic Hits is also available to purchase on vinyl here.

The Cure embarked on the celebrated “Shows of a Lost World Tour” last year, which became...

Berlin-based sales agency Picture Tree Intl. has acquired the supernatural crime thriller “The Osha Rule,” and will start seeking distribution partner at the Cannes Film Market. The film will start principal photography in August 2024.

“The Osha Rule” blends crime with supernatural horror and revolves around a young Latino gang member forced into a Santería ritual after recovering stolen goods from a rival gang.

Soon after, he and his little sister begin to feel the harassment of a supernatural entity. A traumatized social worker risks everything to help the siblings escape their seemingly doomed fate.

The film will star Mariela Garriga in a leading role under the direction of Ángel González, whose debut “Compulsion” premiered at the Sitges Fantastic Film Festival and was licensed globally to Amazon.

Garriga is best known for her work in “Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.” She also stars in the film’s second instalment, currently in post-production.

The Cure’s double live album, Paris, celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2024. To mark the occasion, Rhino Records has announced a new reissue set for release on March 22nd.

The live recording was remastered by The Cure’s Robert Smith and Miles Showell at Abby Road Studios in London. As part of the process, Smith included two previously unreleased tracks, “Shake Dog Shake” and “Hot Hot Hot!!!”, and reconfigured the tracklist.

The 30th anniversary of Paris will be available as a 1xCD or 2xLP set. Pre-orders are now ongoing.

Paris is the second of two live albums documenting The Cure’s 1992 tour in support of Wish. The first live album, Show, was reissued last year.

The Cure have long been teasing a new album called Songs of a Lost World, but there’s still no word on a release date. The band recently wrapped up their triumphant “Shows of a Lost World Tour,...

Netflix Geeked releases trailer for fantasy film Damsel starring Millie Bobby Brown, featuring princesses, dragons, and a damsel challenging her fate. Damsel stars a star-studded cast including Angela Bassett and Robin Wright, directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, and written by Dan Mazeau. Millie Bobby Brown continues her collaboration with Netflix, returning for Enola Holmes 3 and the final season of Stranger Things.

Millie Bobby Brown may be set to complete Eleven's story in season 5 of Stranger Things, but before that, she will be taking on a different kind of monster in her new movie Damsel. Having released a first trailer at last month's Geeked Week, Netflix have now unveiled a new poster and with it, the release date of March 8, 2024. Check out the new poster below.

The first trailer for Damsel, a fantasy film with a twist, unleashed its action-packed first trailer last month. Centering on a damsel in...

Netflix Geeked releases trailer for fantasy film Damsel starring Millie Bobby Brown, featuring princesses, dragons, and a damsel challenging her fate. Damsel stars a star-studded cast including Angela Bassett and Robin Wright, directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, and written by Dan Mazeau. Millie Bobby Brown continues her collaboration with Netflix, returning for Enola Holmes 3 and the final season of Stranger Things.

Netflix Geeked has unveiled the first trailer for Damsel, a fantasy film with a twist starring Stranger Things and Enola Holmes’ Millie Bobby Brown. Centering on a damsel in distress who will fight to challenge that description, Damsel features all the handsome princes and fire-breathing dragons that you could wish for. Check out the newly released trailer for Damsel below:

Alongside the newly released trailer, you can also check out the official synopsis for Damsel below:

“A dutiful damsel agrees to marry a handsome prince, only to find...

The soundtrack of Long Shot is filled with both modern and nostalgic tunes that perfectly complement the romantic journey of the lead characters. The songs in the movie range from optimistic and upbeat to sentimental and reflective, enhancing the different moments and emotions experienced by Fred and Charlotte. The inclusion of nostalgic songs adds depth to the relationship between the characters, grounding them in a shared history and creating a sense of authenticity.

Supporting the lead stars Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron in the feel-good romantic comedy Long Shot is a fun and upbeat soundtrack riddled with plenty of nostalgic tunes. The movie stars Seth Rogen as the recently unemployed journalist Fred Flarsky who reunites with his former babysitter turned US Secretary of State, Charlotte Field (played by Theron). Their spontaneous reunion fans the flames of a cursory but intimate moment they once shared as teenagers, and Charlize Theron's character...

Sex Education season 4 offers a perfect final dose of awkwardness, drama, and joy, accompanied by a diverse and fitting musical soundtrack. Each episode is enhanced by carefully curated songs that capture the emotions and themes of the characters' journeys. The music ranges from nostalgic classics to contemporary hits, adding depth and atmosphere to the storytelling.

This article contains spoilers for Sex Education season 4.Though it is the last season of Sex Education, the series did not disappoint viewers, especially when it came to its musical selections. For all eight episodes, the coming-of-age series about high school sex therapist Otis Milburn offered all kinds of musical highs and lows, from funky instrumental tracks to heartwarming pop singalongs. All in all, with Sex Education season 4 being the final season, it provided a perfect final dose of awkwardness, drama, and the type of joy one feels when they are finally understood.

Sex Education...

Yungblud‘s greatest battles are both internal and external on his latest single “Lowlife.” Internally, both literally and figuratively, he can’t get out of the bed, out of the house, or out of his own head. Externally, he can’t get his name out of everyone else’s mouth. Finding himself lower than rock bottom, the British musician settles in there instead of crying to claw his way out.

“I wrote ‘Lowlife’ because I just didn’t want to leave my house. I was sick of people, of games,...

The Cure has announced their first series of North American tour dates in more than four years. The Shows of a Lost World Tour began on May 10 and will wrap up on July 1. The Twilight Sad will support the band on all dates.

Last month, singer Robert Smith announced on Twitter that the band would also tour South America but that dates were still being decided.

>Get The Cure Convert Tickets Now!

Smith has previously teased a new Cure album with their last release coming out in 2008. After being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2019, he said, “If I’m optimistic it will be finished before the start of this summer.” However, the album still hasn’t been finished.

In recent years, Smith himself has collaborated with Gorillaz, Chvrches, Deftones and Noel Gallagher. In 2022, the band reissued their album, Wish (1992) for its 30th anniversary.

Setlist

Alone

Pictures...

Sriya Lenka, India’s first K-pop artiste has opened up on joining multi-ethnic K-pop girl group, Blackswan, and is geared up for the release of their new single album titled ‘That Karma’.

Expressing her excitement for the upcoming album, Sriya Lenka shared, “We are thrilled to finally share our hard work and make our comeback with ‘That Karma.’

“This album represents our growth as a group, and we’ve poured our hearts and souls into bringing our fans something new and unique. We can’t wait for everyone to hear it and see what we have in store.”

Joining Sriya Lenka in Blackswan are Gabi from Germany and Brazil, who showcased her magnificent beauty and stage presence during performances in India earlier this year, and NVee (Florence Alena Smith) from the US, the group’s main vocalist who demonstrated her exceptional vocal skills at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Odisha Hockey World Cup.

The Cure kicked off their first North American tour in seven years with a show at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on Wednesday.

The Robert Smith-led band delivered a 29-song setlist that included several new songs presumably taken from their long-teased new album, Songs of a Lost World, including “Alone,” “And Nothing Is Forever,” “A Fragile Thing,” and “I Can Never Say Goodbye.” During the encore The Cure dusted off “A Thousand Hours,” from Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss, and “Six Different Ways” from The Head on the Door (neither song had been played since 1987).

See the evening’s full 29-song setlist and fan-captured performance footage below.

The North American leg of the “Songs of a Lost World Tour” runs through early July. The tour’s ticket on-sale has been quite the ordeal, but there are limited quantities still available via Ticketmaster.

The Cure Setlist:

Alone

Pictures of...

Three top film costume designers will reveal secrets behind their projects when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with 2022/2023 awards contenders. They will participate in two video discussions to premiere on Thursday, November 10, at 4:00 p.m. Pt; 7:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our senior editor Joyce Eng and a roundtable chat with all of the group together.

RSVP today to our entire ongoing Emmy contenders panel series by clicking here to book your free reservation. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.

This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following Oscar contenders:

Lady Chatterley’s Lover (Netflix)

Synopsis: An unhappily married aristocrat begins a torrid affair with the gamekeeper on her husband’s country estate.

Bio: Emma Fryer’s career has included “Grantchester,” “The Tunnel,” “The Great,” “Alex Rider” and “Close to Me.

Yungblud brought rock to the NFL during his recent performance during the NFL London Games halftime show at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where the Minnesota Vikings faced off against the New Orleans Saints.

Dropped into the center of a stadium filled with roaring football fans, Yungblud did seem slightly out of place — but standing out has been a staple of his artistic image from the beginning.

The Doncaster-native filled up his performance slot with live versions of “The Funeral,” “Tissues,” and “The Emperor,” all of which appeared on his recently released third studio album Yungblud.

Connie Nielsen is set to star in the psychological thriller “Follow Me” from Catalyst Studios.

The “Gladiator” and “Wonder Woman” star will play the lead role in the film, directed by auteur Siri Rødnes (“A Gambler’s Guide to Dying”). Sam Hunt and Stef Dawson, will co-star opposite Nielsen.

Principal photography will begin in Belgrade, Serbia, on Sept. 25. The film is being produced by Devin Digonno for Catalyst Studios. Holly Levow, Mark Pennell and Paul Kampf are executive producing.

Written by Catalyst’s Mark Pennell, “Follow Me” is described as a “tense” psychological thriller with “all the twists and turns of a classic Hitchcockian thriller, pushing boundaries and blurring the lines between relationships to reveal that money, secrets and deception is a deadly mix.”

Catalyst is the new banner from social entrepreneur Holly Levow, Mark Pennell and Paul Kampf. It was formed to produce compelling, high-quality, and commercial feature films.

Yungblud has unveiled a colorful, dance-fueled music video for his song “Tissues.” The clip, shot in London and directed by Charlie Sarsfield, sees the musician dancing through various scenes where the other people are frozen in time.

The track, off Yungblud’s new self-titled LP, features a sample of the Cure’s “Close To Me,” which was personally approved by the band’s lead singer Robert Smith.

“This is a new era for Yungblud, I wanted to dance, I wanted to move, and I wanted to really personify in the video what this song means,...

The English supernova Yungblud—real name Dominic Richard Harrison, hailing from South Yorkshire—has been an anti-pop star since his 2018 breakthrough, amassing fans and ink with his insistent hooks, soul-exposing lyrics, and endlessly quotable interviews. His third album is self-titled, which implies a reset—although if anything, Yungblud’s version involves scaling up as much as possible.

Yungblud is a whirlwind listen, fusing together building blocks of various rock subgenres—mostly Britpop’s hip-shaking carnality and emo’s on-the-brink wails—then spit-shining them a bit before adding confessional lyrics. (He’s not baring everything,...

Exclusive: Wonder Woman franchise actress Connie Nielsen is joining Role Play opposite Kaley Cuoco, David Oyelowo and Bill Nighy.

The details of Nielsen’s role in the pic from Studiocanal, Picture Company and Amazon Prime Video are under wraps.

The Thomas Vincent-directed pic revolves around a married couple (Cuoco and Oyelowo) whose lives turn upside down when secrets come out about each other’s pasts. Nighy portrays a mysterious stranger who comes into their lives.

Seth Owen wrote Role Play. Andrew Baldwin also co-wrote. Brillstein Grey’s George Heller conceived the idea and serves as EP.

Studiocanal is fully financing the Picture Company production, to which Amazon Prime Video took rights for the U.S. and many offshore territories.

The Picture Company partners Alex Heineman and Andrew Rona are producing through their long-term deal at Studiocanal. Cuoco is producing through her Yes Norman Productions.

Nielsen plays Queen Hippolyta in...

Independent to handle sales, David Parfitt to exec produce UK feature.

Independent Entertainment has boarded and will handle international sales on UK feature Black Dog, which brings together two of Screen’s 2022 Stars of Tomorrow, director George Jaques and writer-actor Jamie Flatters.

Black Dog, which wraps principal photography this week, is directed by Jaques who also wrote the script with Flatters, with Flatters starring alongside Keenan Munn-Francis, who is making his feature debut.

Jaques is producing through Athenaeum Productions alongside Ken Petrie through 27 Ten Productions, with Ian Sharp and Flatters also producing. Trademark Films’ David Parfitt, whose credits include...

As Paramount+ prepares for UK rollout this week and in advance of tonight’s swanky London do, the streamer has greenlit a seven-strong international slate including a French fantasy horror thriller, series on the Circeo Massacre, two shows from Mexico and two from Germany including The Sheikh.

Scroll down for the full slate below as Paramount+ deepens its international push and prepares to unveil the shows at an event with the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Jessica Chastain and Gillian Anderson, amongst other A-listers. Paramount+ has taken over London’s West End for the day with a Walk of Fame-esque Walk of Stars, with 50 illuminated stars including Stallone, Anderson, Michelle Pfeiffer and Viola Davis.

Paramount Global plans to commission 150 international originals for Paramount+ within three years

The slate, Paramount+’s second major international roster, includes France’s Marie Antoinette Serial Killer, a fantasy horror thriller about four young American girls who...

Click here to read the full article.

Paramount Global’s streaming service Paramount+ is continuing to invest in original content sourced from international markets, unveiling a slate of seven new titles, mostly series, Monday, that will debut around the world and saying it is planning to commission 150 international originals by 2025.

The new internationally originated programming, including a show about former Mexican drug lord El Chapo’s wife and former American teenage beauty queen — with John Leguizamo producing and starring as El Chapo — will be produced in partnership with Vis, Paramount’s international studio, part of the entertainment conglomerate’s portfolio of studios that spans more than 20 countries.

The slate of originals includes projects from Germany, Italy, France and Mexico. The slate news came ahead of the launch of Paramount+ in the U.K. and Ireland on Wednesday.

The Paramount subscription VOD service previously unveiled an ambitious commitment to greenlighting 50 international...

Exclusive: Film Constellation has boarded sales on debut feature Blue Jean, an identity drama set during Margaret Thatcher’s tenure as UK Prime Minister.

The Alienist and Close To Me actress Rosy McEwen stars in the Kleio Films production, which is backed by BBC Film and the BFI, in association with Great Point Media. Set in the north of England in 1988, at a time when Thatcher’s government passed a law stigmatizing gays and lesbians, the film follows Jean, a Pe teacher forced to live a double life. When a new student arrives and threatens to expose her, Jean is pushed to extreme lengths to keep her job and her integrity. Above is a first-look image of McEwen in the feature, which marks the feature directorial debut of Georgia Oakley. Producer is Hélène Sifre. Also starring are Kerrie Hayes (Tin Star) and Lucy Halliday.

Oakley’s shorts have screened at festivals including SXSW,...

Exclusive: Robin Wright, Ray Winstone, Nick Robinson, Brooke Carter and Shohreh Aghdashloo have joined previously announced star and EP Millie Bobby Brown and star Angela Bassett in the Netflix fantasy film Damsel, we can tell you first.

In the movie from Oscar-nominated filmmaker Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, a dutiful damsel agrees to marry a handsome prince, only to find the royal family has recruited her as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debt. Thrown into a cave with a fire-breathing dragon, she must rely on her wits and will to survive.

Wrath of the Titans scribe Dan Mazeau is writing with Joe Roth, Jeff Kirschenbaum, Chris Castaldi producing and Emily Wolfe co-producing. EPs are Brown and Robert Brown for Pcma Productions, Mazeau, Zack Roth, Sue Baden-Powell. Nick Nesbitt is the creative lead from Netflix.

Wright is an 8x Emmy nominated actress and producer of Netflix’s House of Cards. She made...

We've got another exclusive clip of the Sundance Now series, Close to Me.

It stars Connie Nielsen as Jo Harding, a woman who suffered a terrible accident that left her missing an entire year of her memory.

Jo doesn't have all the support she needs to piece it back together again, especially when it comes to her husband.

He's the person she should be able to trust the most, but Rob (played with vigor by Christopher Eccleston) didn't seem to have her back.

This clip suggests he's still unable to give Jo what she needs.

At every turn, what Jo uncovers causes her to reconsider her marriage and relationship with Rob.

It's not any easier reconnecting with her son, so having him close would mean a lot to her, especially since he's floundering a bit, too.

But Rob wants him and Jo to live alone together without interference.

While it...

All is not as it seems in “Close to Me,” Sundance Now’s psychological drama about a married woman and mother who forgets the last year of her life following a traumatic event. A personal investigation into what caused it consumes all six episodes of the limited series, which stars Connie Nielsen and Christopher Eccleston in a middle-of-the-road effort that lands somewhere between the soap opera simplicity of a Lifetime movie and the kind of beautiful hellscape that Nielsen’s fellow Dane, filmmaker Lars von Trier, is known for writing. There’s even a sequence involving a dead canine scored to a rhyme about a copper fox, recalling the fabled “Chaos Reigns” moment in “Antichrist” (2009). If only “Close to Me” were as decidedly confrontational in its style and structure.

What prevents the series from being the haunting reverie it strive for is that it’s all-too-familiar — content with playing inside...

We've already shared the trailer for the new Sundance Now series, Close To Me.

Now, we've got an exclusive clip that offers a little of what Jo Harding will be dealing with after a tumble down the stairs left her battling partial amnesia.

Connie Nielsen is Jo, and Jo's mind is a jumble of missing links.

She has no recollection about the fall that left her gravely wounded.

There are so many unknowns.

Jo doesn't know how she fell down the stairs. She doesn't know what led up to that moment.

In a situation like that, trust is almost impossible.

But the most shocking thing might be what Jo doesn't know about herself.

Our clip reveals that she may have been involved in something a little untoward with someone other than her husband.

Instead of that revelation making her husband Rob (Christopher Eccleston) more sympathetic, it makes you wonder why...

Jo Harding seems to have it all.

A tumble down the staircase could change all of that.

In Close To Me, Connie Nielsen stars as Jo, a woman struggling to recall how she landed at the bottom of the stairs, gravely wounded.

Was it an innocent fall, or was there something more sinister afoot?

With a year of her life gone in an instant, Jo relies on those around her to help her piece together the broken parts of her recent memory.

Day by day, Jo questions everything she knew, trying to find a connection that could have resulted in her tragedy.

Jo's husband, Rob (Christopher Eccleston), sure seems like he's happy she survived, but even he's suspect as others reveal bits of her life he's purposefully hidden from her after her injury.

As the pieces begin to fall together, one thing seems certain.

The wonderful life she thought she...

The CW is recruiting one of the original 4400 for its reboot: Patrick John Flueger, who played returnee Shawn Farrell on the USA Network drama, will guest-star as Caleb, a charismatic figure from one of the 4400’s past, our sister site Deadline reports. Additionally, original series co-creator Scott Peters will direct an upcoming episode of the update.

Airing Mondays at 9/8c, the CW drama follows 4,400 overlooked, undervalued, or otherwise marginalized people who vanished without a trace over the last hundred years and are all returned in an instant, having not aged a day and with no memory of what happened to them.

Exclusive: Georgina Campbell (Apple TV+’s upcoming Suspicion), Nick Blood (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and Wai Ching Ho (STXfilms’ Hustlers) have signed on to star in Lovely, Dark, and Deep, a psychological horror film from Midnight Mass scribe Teresa Sutherland, which has entered production in Portugal.

The writer-director’s first feature charts the journey of Lennon (Campbell), a new backcountry ranger, who travels alone through the dangerous wilderness, hoping to uncover the origins of a tragedy that has haunted her for most of her life.

Blood will play Jackson, a seasoned park ranger encountered by Lennon deep in the backcountry, with Ho portraying District Ranger Zhang, the most senior ranger in the national park, who will do anything to protect it.

Josh Waller is producing Lovely, Dark, and Deep for Woodhead Creative. Stefanie Coimbra is exec producing for House of Quest Films,...

Exclusive: Yazzmin Newell (The Last Tree) is set as a series regular opposite Emma McDonald, Dominic Monaghan and Ayelet Zurer in AMC’s utopian drama series Moonhaven.

Created, written and executive produced by Peter Ocko, Moonhaven is about a utopian colony on the moon that might hold the keys to preserving life on Earth, which has become increasingly perilous. The series, produced by AMC Studios, is set to debut on AMC and AMC+ next year.

The suspense thriller focuses on Bella Sway (McDonald), a lunar cargo pilot and smuggler 100 years in the future who finds herself accused of a crime and marooned on Moonhaven, a utopian community set on a 500 square mile Garden of Eden built on the moon to find solutions to the problems that will soon end civilization on Mother Earth. A skeptic in Paradise, Bella is sucked into a conspiracy to gain control of the artificial intelligence...

Festival

Raindance Film Festival, Britain’s largest independent film festival, will return to cinemas this year, reimagined and restructured with a host of new partners and new films. Running Oct. 27 – Nov. 6, this year’s in-person event will partner with several cinemas across London and offer online screenings in the U.K., facilitated by Curzon Home Cinema.

After seeing last year’s data, which showed that about 70% of the festival’s online audience was located outside of London, Raindance has made a concerted effort to continue fostering its online reach, resulting in the new partnership with Curzon, which will host pay-per-view screenings of official competition films on its iOS, Android and Smart TV apps.

Kicking off on Oct. 27, the Raindance opening gala will feature a screening of Lina Roessler’s “Best Sellers,” starring Academy Award winner Michael Caine, Cary Elwes and Aubrey Plaza. Bookending the event on Nov. 6, the closing gala...

Discovery and Liberty Global-owned super-producer All3Media has completed the acquisition Nordic Entertainment Group’s Nent Studios UK.

Nent Studios UK, which is behind Viaplay/Channel 4’s Connie Nielsen and Christopher Eccleston drama Close To Me, was put up for sale last November, little more than a year after the production and distribution business was established.

Nent Studios UK was formally known as Drg and boasts a catalog of more than 10,000 hours of content. It handles sales on shows including Doc Martin, Catchphrase, and Don’t Tell the Bride.

All3Media CEO Jane Turton said: “There has never been more demand for high quality IP, and we are all looking forward to working closely with the producers of these shows.” Louise Pedersen, CEO of All3Media International, added: “With over 10,000 hours of content, and some fantastic internationally known programmes, this catalogue will be an excellent and complementary addition to our library.

Exclusive: Munich-based Night Train Media, the company launched last year by former Tele Munchen Group MD Herbert Kloiber, is making its first movie investment in thriller Freegard, starring James Norton (Little Women), Gemma Arterton (The King’s Man) and Shazad Latif (Star Trek Discovery).

Production starts May 31st in London on the feature, which will also star Marisa Abela (Industry), Edwina Findley (The Wire), and Julian Barratt (The Mighty Boosh).

Based on true events, the movie will chart the story of career conman, Robert Freegard, played by Norton, with Gemma Arterton as the woman who brought him down. Freegard was a master manipulator who convinced countless victims he was undercover MI5 in order to extort and kidnap them. Initially falling for his charms, Arterton’s character became the architect of his downfall and her actions led to his conviction and arrest.

Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn will direct from a script...

Exclusive: Osy Ikhile (The Kill Team) and Caoilinn Springall (The Midnight Sky) are set as series regulars opposite Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas in Citadel, Agbo’s upcoming global thriller multi-series for Amazon Studios. Additionally, Stanley Tucci, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Susan Lynch, Sara Martins, Leo Woodall, Gráinne Good and Leo Ashizawa will recur in the series, a co-production with Midnight Radio.

The epic Citadel is described as action-packed spy series with a compelling emotional center.

Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec, Jeff Pinkner, and Scott Rosenberg of Midnight Radio serve as writers and executive producers. Patrick Moran, Mike Larocca, and Joe and Anthony Russo serve as executive producers. The Italian series will be co-produced with Amazon Studios and Cattleya (Gomorrah), part of ITV Studios, and the Indian series will be developed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. (The Family Man) and produced with Amazon Studios.

Ikhile’s recent credits include Donmar Warehouse’s Olivier-nominated production of Sweat,...

All3Media is believed to be in late-stage discussions to buy “The Cry” producer Nent Studios U.K., the production and distribution outfit formerly known as Drg.

Sources tell Variety that the Liberty Global and Discovery-backed super-indie — whose programming portfolio includes dramas “It’s a Sin” and “Fleabag,” as well as reality show “The Circle” and Oscar-nominated film “1917” — is in exclusive closed-door talks with Nent Studios U.K., which has been on the sales block since November.

It’s believed that All3Media is eyeing the Nordic Entertainment Group-backed company for a few key formats, as well as AVOD rights on its library, which spans around 13,500 hours of content. Key unscripted shows from Nent Studios U.K. include “Don’t Tell the Bride,” “The Farm” and “Catch Phrase.” On the scripted front, the outfit’s big success in recent years has been the BBC and ABC Australia co-commissioned drama “The Cry...

London TV Screenings Schedule Announced

The London TV Screenings became official last year and organizers have now announced the virtual schedule for this year’s event, which takes place March 1-12. Here’s the schedule: Banijay Rights (March 3), All3Media International (March 4), Fremantle (March 5), eOne (March 9), ITV Studios (March 10). The screenings will follow BBC Studios Showcase, which is scheduled to take place online between February 22-24. The annual gathering in Liverpool was the springboard for the informal London TV Screenings, which have been organized as a coordinated but disparate set of events for some time.

Netflix Becomes Europe’s Second Largest TV Group

Netflix became Europe’s second largest TV group by revenue last year, according to research from Ampere Analysis. The analyst said Netflix overtook Germany’s Ard and is second only to Comcast’s Sky. Tony Maroulis, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, said: “It would seem that there is...

In a night that mostly celebrated last year’s hits, and introduced a few new tracks, the Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs) took place in a crowdless theater after being postponed from its original date and venue (Las Vegas in May) due to the coronavirus pandemic. Kelly Clarkson hosted the make-up show from Los Angeles.

Televised acceptances included Billie Eilish for top female artist; Lizzo, who delivered a powerful speech (and wore a dress adorned with the word Vote) for top song sales; Luke Combs for top country artist; Lil Nas X for top Hot 100 song and Post Malone, the night’s big winner, who racked up nine awards including top artist and top rap album for “Hollywood’s Bleeding.” Post also performed on the show from a remote “secret location” in Los Angeles.

See the full list of winners below:

Top Artist: Post Malone

Top New Artist: Billie Eilish

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In today’s Mipcom Roundup, ViacomCBS announces Mia attendance and its investment commitment in the Italian industry, Nent Studios U.K. and Amazon Prime Video make major casting announcements, All3Media sells “Roadkill” globally, Fremantle acquires distribution rights on “Day Zero” and the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announces winners for the International Emmy Kids Awards.

Markets

ViacomCBS International Studios (Vis) announced its upcoming participation at this year’s Mia Market in Rome where the organization will present its strategy and plans for Southern Europe.

On Saturday, Laura Abril, head of Vis Emeaa, and Jaime Ondarza, executive VP and Gm for ViacomCBS Networks South Europe and Middle East, will attend Drama Talk and host a roundtable discussion titled Business Creativity: The Pursuit of Excellence, inviting speakers from top production companies and studios to explore new models for the drama space.

Vis will also debut its new ViacomCBS International Studios Award,...

Nent Group, the Nordic region’s leading streaming company, has ordered “Two Sisters,” a series based on the bestselling novels by Sweden’s high-profile media personalities Hannah Widell and Amanda Schulman.

Yellow Bird, the banner behind “Millennium” and “Wallander,” is producing the eight-part show. “Two Sisters” will premiere exclusively on Nent Group’s Viaplay streaming service across the Nordic and Baltic regions in 2021.

“Two Sisters” (“Två systrar”) was created and directed by Julia Lindström (“Hjerteslag”) and written by Amy Black Ndiaye (Wisting’). The series is produced by Alexia Wennberg, Cecilia Forsberg and Georgie Mathew at Yellow Bird, and filming started this week in Stockholm.

“Two Sisters” explores the diverging lives of young Stockholm siblings Alicia and Vanessa as they climb the career ladder, fall in love and realise that growing up can also mean growing apart.

“More than 200,000 Instagram followers and 400 podcast episodes show the incredible reach of Hannah Widell and Amanda Schulman,...

Nent Group, the Nordic region’s leading streaming company, has ordered “Furia,” an original drama series created by Gjermund Stenberg Eriksen (“Mammon”) exploring the underworld of right-wing extremism in Europe.

A co-production between Norway’s Monster Scripted and Germany’s X Filme Creative Pool Series and Zdf, “Furia” will premiere exclusively across the Nordics on Nent Group’s Viaplay streaming service in 2021.

Repped by Keshet International, the eight-part show is directed by Magnus Martens and Lars Kraume (“The People vs. Fritz Bauer”).

“Furia” stars Ine Marie Willmann (“Exit”), as Ragna, a fiercely courageous cop who infiltrates a nationalistic subculture following a shocking killing in an idyllic Norwegian town. Working with Asgeir, a police investigator, Ragna’s journey pulls her into a spiral of hatred while a terrorist plot targeting the heart of Europe is revealed.

“It’s uncommon to see a female lead character who appears to be driven by such extreme rage as Ragna,...