Alberto Barbera admits that he has made plenty of mistakes.
When Barbera, who hails from the Piedmontese textile town of Biella, took over for the first time as artistic director of The Venice Film Festival in 1999, the situation was dire: The Festival, which is controlled by the government-supported Biennale Foundation, was a mess. He remembers that the facilities on the Lido were lousy, attendance by top Hollywood stars and producers was underwhelming and as a business, Venice was a loss-making proposition. In the scorching heat of late August and early September in Venice, there wasn’t even any air conditioning at the Palazzo del Cinema.
Barbera has helped to turn all that around. He was twice named as artistic director by Paolo Baratta, the legendary president of the Biennale Foundation, who would over the years channel millions of dollars of new investments to the festival, completely refurbishing the Palazzo del Cinema and adding extension annexes.
When Barbera, who hails from the Piedmontese textile town of Biella, took over for the first time as artistic director of The Venice Film Festival in 1999, the situation was dire: The Festival, which is controlled by the government-supported Biennale Foundation, was a mess. He remembers that the facilities on the Lido were lousy, attendance by top Hollywood stars and producers was underwhelming and as a business, Venice was a loss-making proposition. In the scorching heat of late August and early September in Venice, there wasn’t even any air conditioning at the Palazzo del Cinema.
Barbera has helped to turn all that around. He was twice named as artistic director by Paolo Baratta, the legendary president of the Biennale Foundation, who would over the years channel millions of dollars of new investments to the festival, completely refurbishing the Palazzo del Cinema and adding extension annexes.
- 8/22/2024
- by Alan Friedman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Daniela de Felice’s impressionistic, sensuous documentary meditates on the romantic relationships and student activism of her youth in 1990s Italy
Bittersweet memories rise like mist in Daniela de Felice’s impressionistic, sensuous documentary recalling the halcyon days of her youth in 1990s Italy. Ardenza employs strikingly tactile visual techniques: it begins with roving camera movements that cruise through long, cavernous hospital corridors. Alluding to her gruelling treatment for an unnamed condition, De Felice’s narration then rolls back to the past as she speaks of romantic relationships and student activism under Silvio Berlusconi’s administration, all charged with tumultuous passion. Sepia-toned images are projected on what looks like a fluttering fabric screen whose surface is flecked with subtle black ridges and marks.
Presented in this unusual fashion, footage of this era gains a highly textured, at times ghostly, quality. Scenes of nocturnal streets, tranquil forests and fervent protests are...
Bittersweet memories rise like mist in Daniela de Felice’s impressionistic, sensuous documentary recalling the halcyon days of her youth in 1990s Italy. Ardenza employs strikingly tactile visual techniques: it begins with roving camera movements that cruise through long, cavernous hospital corridors. Alluding to her gruelling treatment for an unnamed condition, De Felice’s narration then rolls back to the past as she speaks of romantic relationships and student activism under Silvio Berlusconi’s administration, all charged with tumultuous passion. Sepia-toned images are projected on what looks like a fluttering fabric screen whose surface is flecked with subtle black ridges and marks.
Presented in this unusual fashion, footage of this era gains a highly textured, at times ghostly, quality. Scenes of nocturnal streets, tranquil forests and fervent protests are...
- 7/22/2024
- by Phuong Le
- The Guardian - Film News
In the Antico Teatro in the Sicilian town of Taormina, the 70th edition of the Taormina Film Festival got off to a lively start, with the Nastri d’Argento Awards ceremony, amid a mix of comedy and controversy.
The comedy was on hand with the loudest applause of the evening going to Carlo Verdone and Christian De Sica (above), two “pillars of Italian comedy” as they were introduced by Pilar Fogliati, star of “Confidenze,” and “Romeo Is Juliet.” Pilar herself was a recipient of her first Nastro d’Argento. The Nino Manfredi awards were given by the late actor’s son and film director Luca Manfredi to Emanuela Fanelli, last seen in Paola Cortellesi’s box office hit “There’s Always Tomorrow” as well as to Claudio Bisio, the actor-director who sent a video message of thanks.
Other absent awardees were Margherita Buy and Oscar-winning director Giuseppe Tornatore who received a special career prize.
The comedy was on hand with the loudest applause of the evening going to Carlo Verdone and Christian De Sica (above), two “pillars of Italian comedy” as they were introduced by Pilar Fogliati, star of “Confidenze,” and “Romeo Is Juliet.” Pilar herself was a recipient of her first Nastro d’Argento. The Nino Manfredi awards were given by the late actor’s son and film director Luca Manfredi to Emanuela Fanelli, last seen in Paola Cortellesi’s box office hit “There’s Always Tomorrow” as well as to Claudio Bisio, the actor-director who sent a video message of thanks.
Other absent awardees were Margherita Buy and Oscar-winning director Giuseppe Tornatore who received a special career prize.
- 7/13/2024
- by John Bleasdale
- Variety Film + TV
A mysterious fire has ravaged part of Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s secret mountain palace in the Altai region of Siberia.
The palace has long been shrouded in secrecy, with the Russian public barred from accessing the “specially protected facility intended for the recreation of senior officials of the state,” as stated by a government website.
Blogger Amyr Aitashev and activist Aruna Arna reported the inferno, which destroyed one of the buildings within the expansive estate. While the full extent of the damage to the complex’s main residence remains unclear, the blaze has sparked speculation and concern among Putin’s critics and opposition investigators.
The Altai Mountain retreat, officially owned by the state-run Gazprom energy corporation, is believed to be one of the numerous luxury palaces the Russian president maintains. It has previously hosted high-profile guests like former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
The compound is rumored to house...
The palace has long been shrouded in secrecy, with the Russian public barred from accessing the “specially protected facility intended for the recreation of senior officials of the state,” as stated by a government website.
Blogger Amyr Aitashev and activist Aruna Arna reported the inferno, which destroyed one of the buildings within the expansive estate. While the full extent of the damage to the complex’s main residence remains unclear, the blaze has sparked speculation and concern among Putin’s critics and opposition investigators.
The Altai Mountain retreat, officially owned by the state-run Gazprom energy corporation, is believed to be one of the numerous luxury palaces the Russian president maintains. It has previously hosted high-profile guests like former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
The compound is rumored to house...
- 5/31/2024
- by Baila Eve Zisman
- Uinterview
Box To Box Films has expanded its senior team, tapping Shine TV producer Tom Hutchings in an executive producer role.
Hutchings joins co-founders James Gay-Rees and Paul Martin, kicking off with what Box to Box describes as one of its “most successful properties.”
Previously at Shine TV for eight years, Hutchings marks the first major hire since Bruin Capital’s investment in Box To Box. His industry journey began at BBC Drama, and he has produced acclaimed unscripted content globally. His credits include Channel 4’s “Hunted” and “Celebrity Hunted,” Disney+’s “Finding Michael,” BBC’s Comic Relief docs and “Bear Grylls Meets President Zelenskyy.” He also contributed to “Gogglebox” at Studio Lambert and “Goldrush” at Raw.
Based in London, Paris and Los Angeles, Box To Box Films is renowned for sports documentaries like Netflix’s “Formula 1: Drive to Survive,” “Full Swing,” “Six Nations: Full Contact,” “Tour de France: Unchained” and the upcoming “Sprint.
Hutchings joins co-founders James Gay-Rees and Paul Martin, kicking off with what Box to Box describes as one of its “most successful properties.”
Previously at Shine TV for eight years, Hutchings marks the first major hire since Bruin Capital’s investment in Box To Box. His industry journey began at BBC Drama, and he has produced acclaimed unscripted content globally. His credits include Channel 4’s “Hunted” and “Celebrity Hunted,” Disney+’s “Finding Michael,” BBC’s Comic Relief docs and “Bear Grylls Meets President Zelenskyy.” He also contributed to “Gogglebox” at Studio Lambert and “Goldrush” at Raw.
Based in London, Paris and Los Angeles, Box To Box Films is renowned for sports documentaries like Netflix’s “Formula 1: Drive to Survive,” “Full Swing,” “Six Nations: Full Contact,” “Tour de France: Unchained” and the upcoming “Sprint.
- 5/22/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
It’s no secret that Paolo Sorrentino is profoundly obsessed with the topics of youth and great beauty. Such preoccupations — and several more! — are self-evident in films like “Youth” and “The Great Beauty,” two unbridled displays of Italian maximalism that are every bit as subtle as their titles suggest.
Following 2021’s achingly personal “The Hand of God,” in which the Neapolitan director filtered the agony and the ecstasy of his formative years through the same veil of Fellini-esque sacrilege that he’d previously cast over movies about Silvio Berlusconi and the fading splendor of Roman history, Sorrentino is back on his proverbial bullshit with another sprawling flesh parade that’s more consumed with abstract ideals than it is with the stuff of life itself. Once again, he returns with a rapturously sumptuous film that blurs the line between the sacred and the profane until sex feels like religion and religion feels like sex,...
Following 2021’s achingly personal “The Hand of God,” in which the Neapolitan director filtered the agony and the ecstasy of his formative years through the same veil of Fellini-esque sacrilege that he’d previously cast over movies about Silvio Berlusconi and the fading splendor of Roman history, Sorrentino is back on his proverbial bullshit with another sprawling flesh parade that’s more consumed with abstract ideals than it is with the stuff of life itself. Once again, he returns with a rapturously sumptuous film that blurs the line between the sacred and the profane until sex feels like religion and religion feels like sex,...
- 5/21/2024
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Italian state broadcaster Rai is under heavy fire amid allegations that it censored a planned anti-fascist monologue by prominent writer Antonio Scurati, author of international bestseller “M: Son of the Century,” which reconstructs fascist dictator Benito Mussolini’s rise to power.
Scurati was meant to read his monologue – written to mark the country’s upcoming April 25 national holiday that celebrates Italy’s liberation from fascism – on the talk show “Chesarà,” which aired on the broadcaster’s Rai 3 channel Saturday night.
Shortly before the show’s airtime, as the writer prepared to travel to Rome, he received a note from Rai informing him that his appearance had been canceled “for editorial reasons,” according to an internal Rai document published by leftist daily La Repubblica.
In protest against the sudden muzzling, “Chesarà” host Serena Bortone read out the monologue in full on the talk show herself. Scurati’s text has also...
Scurati was meant to read his monologue – written to mark the country’s upcoming April 25 national holiday that celebrates Italy’s liberation from fascism – on the talk show “Chesarà,” which aired on the broadcaster’s Rai 3 channel Saturday night.
Shortly before the show’s airtime, as the writer prepared to travel to Rome, he received a note from Rai informing him that his appearance had been canceled “for editorial reasons,” according to an internal Rai document published by leftist daily La Repubblica.
In protest against the sudden muzzling, “Chesarà” host Serena Bortone read out the monologue in full on the talk show herself. Scurati’s text has also...
- 4/22/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
- 4/5/2024
- by Brent Simon
- avclub.com
Image: Carnivalesque Films
As any cinephile well knows, the physical places that serve as meaningful ports of entry to our love affair with cinema can often take on swollen, totemic value. It’s fitting, then, that one of the most legendary independent American video stores of all time gets its...
As any cinephile well knows, the physical places that serve as meaningful ports of entry to our love affair with cinema can often take on swollen, totemic value. It’s fitting, then, that one of the most legendary independent American video stores of all time gets its...
- 4/5/2024
- by Brent Simon
- avclub.com
The executive and supervisory board of German media group ProSiebenSat.1 on Wednesday rejected proposals by the Berlusconi-backed MediaForEurope (Mfe) group that would have radically restructured the company.
Mfe’s proposals would have seen ProSieben spin off its Dating & Video and Commerce & Ventures operations and appoint new, pro-mfe members to the group’s board.
But ProSieben rejected that, saying while the split up was in the “unique interests of Mfe,” it was “not in the best interests of all shareholders” and that the proposals would result in “direct destruction of value” at the company. ProSieben’s board predicted the move would force down the company’s stock price without impacting its net debt load.
Mfe, which is majority-owned by the Berlusconi family’s Fininvest Group, is already ProSieben’s largest shareholder, controlling just under 30 percent of the shares in the Munich-based company, just short of the threshold that would trigger an...
Mfe’s proposals would have seen ProSieben spin off its Dating & Video and Commerce & Ventures operations and appoint new, pro-mfe members to the group’s board.
But ProSieben rejected that, saying while the split up was in the “unique interests of Mfe,” it was “not in the best interests of all shareholders” and that the proposals would result in “direct destruction of value” at the company. ProSieben’s board predicted the move would force down the company’s stock price without impacting its net debt load.
Mfe, which is majority-owned by the Berlusconi family’s Fininvest Group, is already ProSieben’s largest shareholder, controlling just under 30 percent of the shares in the Munich-based company, just short of the threshold that would trigger an...
- 3/27/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
German broadcaster ProSiebensat.1 has rejected a proposal by top Italian commercial broadcaster Mediaset — which has been rebranded as MediaForEurope (Mfe) — to split up the company in what amounts to a substantial setback to Mfe’s ambitions to build a pan-European broadcaster.
Mfe, which is headed by Pier Silvio Berlusconi — who is the son of the late former Italian Prime Minister and TV tycoon Silvio Berlusconi — owns a a nearly 30% stake in ProSieben, which makes them the company’s top investor but does not give them control. He is pushing to spin off ProSieben’s e-commerce and dating assets from the company’s core TV operations so that Mfe can mount a potential ProSiebensat.1 buyout and become a full-fledged pan-European media group.
Pier Silvio Berlusconi, in an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera last week, made it clear that Mfe’s buyout offer for ProSieben could only be possible once...
Mfe, which is headed by Pier Silvio Berlusconi — who is the son of the late former Italian Prime Minister and TV tycoon Silvio Berlusconi — owns a a nearly 30% stake in ProSieben, which makes them the company’s top investor but does not give them control. He is pushing to spin off ProSieben’s e-commerce and dating assets from the company’s core TV operations so that Mfe can mount a potential ProSiebensat.1 buyout and become a full-fledged pan-European media group.
Pier Silvio Berlusconi, in an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera last week, made it clear that Mfe’s buyout offer for ProSieben could only be possible once...
- 3/27/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
A Succession-style boardroom battle is playing out in Europe.
Germany’s ProSiebenSat.1 Media has rejected a set of proposals from lead shareholder MediaForEurope (Mfe) to restructure the European media giant.
The Berlusconi-family controlled Mfe (formerly Mediaset) submitted a series of motions ahead of ProSieben’s annual general meeting on April 30, which included splitting up the business and changing its capital structure.
ProSieben released a statement today rejecting the proposals, saying they are “not in the best interests of all shareholders.”
Mfe is already ProSieben’s largest shareholder, owning just less than the 30% that would trigger an automatic takeover offer under German business law.
Rumors have been swirling that the Italian company is seeking to quietly take control of the ProSieben board and de facto ownership of the business at a lower cost. Mfe hadn’t responded to a request for comment by press time.
During a bruising 2023 that saw revenues...
Germany’s ProSiebenSat.1 Media has rejected a set of proposals from lead shareholder MediaForEurope (Mfe) to restructure the European media giant.
The Berlusconi-family controlled Mfe (formerly Mediaset) submitted a series of motions ahead of ProSieben’s annual general meeting on April 30, which included splitting up the business and changing its capital structure.
ProSieben released a statement today rejecting the proposals, saying they are “not in the best interests of all shareholders.”
Mfe is already ProSieben’s largest shareholder, owning just less than the 30% that would trigger an automatic takeover offer under German business law.
Rumors have been swirling that the Italian company is seeking to quietly take control of the ProSieben board and de facto ownership of the business at a lower cost. Mfe hadn’t responded to a request for comment by press time.
During a bruising 2023 that saw revenues...
- 3/27/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Industry executives, creatives and international buyers came together to preview an exclusive selection of upcoming high-end German series at the Up Next: Germany showcase at the Berlinale Series Market, the dedicated serial content arm of the EFM running between Feb. 19-21.
Four projects were selected for the showcase: Dystopian drama “A Better Place” imagines the aftermath of a revolutionary state-led program that eradicates all German prisons. Directors include Anne Zohra Berrached and “Capernaum” editor Konstantin Brock. Studiocanal TV handles world sales on the French-German-Austrian co-production.
“Young Berlusconi” is a three-party documentary trailing the early stages of Silvio Berlusconi’s career and his pivotal role in revolutionizing commercial television in Italy and across Europe. “Goodbye Darling, I’m Off to Fight” director Simone Manetti helms the series, with Arte on board as the German broadcaster and Mediawan handling world sales.
ZDFneo brought two series to the event: “Love Sucks,” an unconventional...
Four projects were selected for the showcase: Dystopian drama “A Better Place” imagines the aftermath of a revolutionary state-led program that eradicates all German prisons. Directors include Anne Zohra Berrached and “Capernaum” editor Konstantin Brock. Studiocanal TV handles world sales on the French-German-Austrian co-production.
“Young Berlusconi” is a three-party documentary trailing the early stages of Silvio Berlusconi’s career and his pivotal role in revolutionizing commercial television in Italy and across Europe. “Goodbye Darling, I’m Off to Fight” director Simone Manetti helms the series, with Arte on board as the German broadcaster and Mediawan handling world sales.
ZDFneo brought two series to the event: “Love Sucks,” an unconventional...
- 2/20/2024
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- Variety Film + TV
For the international film industry, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, the man nominated to take over as the next president of the Venice Biennale, the foundation that oversees the Venice Film Festival, is a bit of an unknown. Not so in Italy, where Buttafuoco is one of the most prominent voices of Italy’s new right-wing, which has seen political success in the election last year of Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Fratelli d’Italia party.
The 60-year writer and journalist was literally born into the Italian right — his uncle was the extreme-right politician Antonino Buttafuoco —and for decades, as a journalist, novelist and television commenter, has been one of the right-wing’s prime promoters. He wrote a glowing biography of late Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who was obsessed with what he saw as the hegemony of “the communists” in Italian cultural institutions. In a recent radio broadcast,...
The 60-year writer and journalist was literally born into the Italian right — his uncle was the extreme-right politician Antonino Buttafuoco —and for decades, as a journalist, novelist and television commenter, has been one of the right-wing’s prime promoters. He wrote a glowing biography of late Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who was obsessed with what he saw as the hegemony of “the communists” in Italian cultural institutions. In a recent radio broadcast,...
- 10/30/2023
- by Scott Roxborough and Roberto Brunelli
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The saga of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni splitting from her partner, Mediaset TV personality Andrea Giambruno, after leaked outtakes revealed the anchorman making sexist remarks, is gripping the country amid speculation of political conspiracy behind the incident.
Meloni, who became Italy’s first female prime minister a year ago when her right-wing Brothers of Italy party scored big in the country’s national elections, officially dumped Giambruno — her partner for a decade and the father of their young daughter (pictured above with Pope Francis) — last Friday via social media.
In Facebook and X posts, Meloni alerted the country that she and her partner had been split up “for some time” after Mediaset’s primetime satirical show “Striscia La Notizia” (“The News Spreads”) aired hot mic and video clip footage of Giambruno grabbing his crotch and apparently hitting on his co-anchor and another unidentified woman.
“Can I touch my package...
Meloni, who became Italy’s first female prime minister a year ago when her right-wing Brothers of Italy party scored big in the country’s national elections, officially dumped Giambruno — her partner for a decade and the father of their young daughter (pictured above with Pope Francis) — last Friday via social media.
In Facebook and X posts, Meloni alerted the country that she and her partner had been split up “for some time” after Mediaset’s primetime satirical show “Striscia La Notizia” (“The News Spreads”) aired hot mic and video clip footage of Giambruno grabbing his crotch and apparently hitting on his co-anchor and another unidentified woman.
“Can I touch my package...
- 10/26/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Oscar-winning director Giuseppe Tornatore’s vintage TV series “Il Camorrista,” starring Ben Gazzara as one of the fiercest bosses of the Neapolitan Camorra crime syndicate, is being unearthed from the vault 37 years after the mobster himself quashed the show before it aired.
“Il Camorrista” was shot in 1985 as part of an innovative production mounted by Italy’s glorious Titanus shingle and Silvio Berlusconi’s ReteItalia. The production comprised both a Tornatore feature film by the same title and the five-episode TV show.
The “Il Camorrista” movie, which was Tornatore’s first feature, was briefly released locally in 1986 by Titanus before being pulled from Italian cinemas after lawyers for convicted mobster Raffaele Cutolo – considered one of Italy’s most brutal bosses who ruled over as many as 10,000 Camorra affiliates from his jail cell – reportedly sued both production companies for libel. Though Cutolo is not referred to by name, “Il Camorrista” is...
“Il Camorrista” was shot in 1985 as part of an innovative production mounted by Italy’s glorious Titanus shingle and Silvio Berlusconi’s ReteItalia. The production comprised both a Tornatore feature film by the same title and the five-episode TV show.
The “Il Camorrista” movie, which was Tornatore’s first feature, was briefly released locally in 1986 by Titanus before being pulled from Italian cinemas after lawyers for convicted mobster Raffaele Cutolo – considered one of Italy’s most brutal bosses who ruled over as many as 10,000 Camorra affiliates from his jail cell – reportedly sued both production companies for libel. Though Cutolo is not referred to by name, “Il Camorrista” is...
- 10/25/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Béla Tarr Set For European Film Awards Honor
Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr will receive the Honorary Award of the Academy President and Board at this year’s European Film Awards. Tarr is the sixth filmmaker to receive this recognition – earlier recipients are Manoel de Oliveira, Michel Piccoli, Sir Michael Caine, Andrzej Wajda, and Costa-Gavras. Tarr is best known for his 1994 feature Sátántangó, a 450-minute adaptation of the novel by László Krasznahorkai. The film won the Grand Prix of the Jury at the Budapest Hungarian Film Week and quickly reached cult status, often referred to as one of the most important films of the 1990s. This year’s European Film Awards take place in Berlin on December 9.
‘Aftersun’ Leads 2023 BAFTA Scotland Awards
Charlotte Well’s debut feature, Aftersun, leads this year’s BAFTA Scotland Awards with five nominations. The film has been nominated in the following categories: Actor Film, Actress Film,...
Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr will receive the Honorary Award of the Academy President and Board at this year’s European Film Awards. Tarr is the sixth filmmaker to receive this recognition – earlier recipients are Manoel de Oliveira, Michel Piccoli, Sir Michael Caine, Andrzej Wajda, and Costa-Gavras. Tarr is best known for his 1994 feature Sátántangó, a 450-minute adaptation of the novel by László Krasznahorkai. The film won the Grand Prix of the Jury at the Budapest Hungarian Film Week and quickly reached cult status, often referred to as one of the most important films of the 1990s. This year’s European Film Awards take place in Berlin on December 9.
‘Aftersun’ Leads 2023 BAFTA Scotland Awards
Charlotte Well’s debut feature, Aftersun, leads this year’s BAFTA Scotland Awards with five nominations. The film has been nominated in the following categories: Actor Film, Actress Film,...
- 10/11/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Tarak Ben Ammar, the president of Eagle Pictures, strolls into The Hollywood Reporter Roma studio at the Venice Film Festival in casual dress, polo shirt and pants, all in the same matching grey, except for pitch-black loafers.
“I love to walk,” he says, tutting about the state of disrepair of Lido landmark The Excelsior, which he just passed by and which is in dire need of renovation. “The Excelsior can no longer be called a luxury hotel,” he argues, before taking a seat to talk about his storied life in the movie business.
The Tunisian-French media mogul knows a few things about rebuilding. Ben Ammar acquired Eagle Pictures in 2007 and has turned the Milan-based production and distribution group into a European powerhouse. Exclusive distribution deals with Paramount and Sony Pictures have made Eagle Italy’s largest independent distributor, and Ben Ammar has leveraged his Sony deal to co-produce with the studio,...
“I love to walk,” he says, tutting about the state of disrepair of Lido landmark The Excelsior, which he just passed by and which is in dire need of renovation. “The Excelsior can no longer be called a luxury hotel,” he argues, before taking a seat to talk about his storied life in the movie business.
The Tunisian-French media mogul knows a few things about rebuilding. Ben Ammar acquired Eagle Pictures in 2007 and has turned the Milan-based production and distribution group into a European powerhouse. Exclusive distribution deals with Paramount and Sony Pictures have made Eagle Italy’s largest independent distributor, and Ben Ammar has leveraged his Sony deal to co-produce with the studio,...
- 9/29/2023
- by Pino Gagliardi
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It’s no secret that it’s taken decades of twists and turns in Hollywood to get Michael Mann’s anticipated “Ferrari,” which makes its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival Aug. 31, to the big screen.
But what’s less known is that the journey of this drama about Italian sports car builder and racing pioneer Enzo Ferrari originated with Italy’s storied Cecchi Gori Group before the company went bust.
In 1991, Los Angeles-based Penta Pictures — which had been jointly founded by producer Vittorio Cecchi Gori and then-rising TV mogul Silvio Berlusconi — bought adaptation rights to the book “Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races” by Brock Yates that is the basis for Mann’s picture.
Cecchi Gori subsequently hired Troy Kennedy Martin to write the script and when Penta Pictures was dissolved in 1995 the “Ferrari” rights went to its U.S. arm, Cecchi Gori Pictures.
The project...
But what’s less known is that the journey of this drama about Italian sports car builder and racing pioneer Enzo Ferrari originated with Italy’s storied Cecchi Gori Group before the company went bust.
In 1991, Los Angeles-based Penta Pictures — which had been jointly founded by producer Vittorio Cecchi Gori and then-rising TV mogul Silvio Berlusconi — bought adaptation rights to the book “Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races” by Brock Yates that is the basis for Mann’s picture.
Cecchi Gori subsequently hired Troy Kennedy Martin to write the script and when Penta Pictures was dissolved in 1995 the “Ferrari” rights went to its U.S. arm, Cecchi Gori Pictures.
The project...
- 8/31/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Alberto Barbera is the longest-serving director of the Venice Film Festival. Counting this year’s event, which kicks off August 30, Barbera will have racked up 15 years at the helm. After a short, three-year stint from 1999-2001, Barbera returned in 2011, beginning what many consider the festival’s new golden age. Under his guidance, Venice has become a springboard for the Oscars (Gravity, Birdman, La La Land, The Shape of Water) and a launchpad for studio blockbusters (Joker, Dune).
His current term is up next year, but when asked if he would sign up again, Barbera just laughs. “Do you think if they offered it to me I would say no? It’s an offer you can’t refuse.”
Every sentence out of Barbera’s mouth seems to contain a film quote. But he came to cinema almost by accident. Unhappy with his job as a substitute teacher in middle school, he...
His current term is up next year, but when asked if he would sign up again, Barbera just laughs. “Do you think if they offered it to me I would say no? It’s an offer you can’t refuse.”
Every sentence out of Barbera’s mouth seems to contain a film quote. But he came to cinema almost by accident. Unhappy with his job as a substitute teacher in middle school, he...
- 8/30/2023
- by Concita De Gregorio
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Like a real-life version of HBO’s Succession, Silvio Berlusconi, the late Italian media tycoon and former prime minister, has left the bulk of his estate to his five children.
Berlusconi, who died on June 12, has left combined control of his Fininvest SpA family holding company — which has major stakes in Mondadori, Italy’s largest publisher; film producer Medusa Film; and more — to his eldest children Marina Berlusconi and Pier Silvio Berlusconi.
His oldest heirs will receive an additional 20 percent stake each in Fininvest to take their joint holding to 53 percent. The three younger children also received stakes in Fininvest as Barbara Berlusconi and Luigi Berlusconi continue on as directors of the family holding company.
Fininvest includes controlling stakes in Mediaset, Italy’s biggest commercial broadcaster; Mondari, the country’s biggest publisher; and other communications and entertainment assets.
“Further to the reading of Silvio Berlusconi’s last will and testament,...
Berlusconi, who died on June 12, has left combined control of his Fininvest SpA family holding company — which has major stakes in Mondadori, Italy’s largest publisher; film producer Medusa Film; and more — to his eldest children Marina Berlusconi and Pier Silvio Berlusconi.
His oldest heirs will receive an additional 20 percent stake each in Fininvest to take their joint holding to 53 percent. The three younger children also received stakes in Fininvest as Barbara Berlusconi and Luigi Berlusconi continue on as directors of the family holding company.
Fininvest includes controlling stakes in Mediaset, Italy’s biggest commercial broadcaster; Mondari, the country’s biggest publisher; and other communications and entertainment assets.
“Further to the reading of Silvio Berlusconi’s last will and testament,...
- 7/6/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Those who were hoping for “Succession”-style infighting following Silvio Berlusconi’s death may be disappointed.
The will of Italy’s media-mogul and former prime minister – who died on June 12 at age 86 – was partly made public on Thursday. What emerged is that his eldest children, Marina and Pier Silvio, will together continue to control his business empire estimated to be worth around $6.8 billion, according to Forbes.
But, according to a statement issued by his five chilren, “No shareholder will exercise overall individual indirect control of Fininvest SpA previously exercised by their father.” Fininvest is the Berlusconi family holding company.
Marina and Pier Silvio Berlusconi — who both already held chief executive roles respectively in Fininvest and in Berlusconi’s Mfe-MediaForEurope, aka Mediaset TV business – will now hold equal stakes jointly amounting to a roughly 53% majority stake in the Fininvest family holding. Fininvest also owns publisher Mondadori; vast luxury real estate properties in Milan,...
The will of Italy’s media-mogul and former prime minister – who died on June 12 at age 86 – was partly made public on Thursday. What emerged is that his eldest children, Marina and Pier Silvio, will together continue to control his business empire estimated to be worth around $6.8 billion, according to Forbes.
But, according to a statement issued by his five chilren, “No shareholder will exercise overall individual indirect control of Fininvest SpA previously exercised by their father.” Fininvest is the Berlusconi family holding company.
Marina and Pier Silvio Berlusconi — who both already held chief executive roles respectively in Fininvest and in Berlusconi’s Mfe-MediaForEurope, aka Mediaset TV business – will now hold equal stakes jointly amounting to a roughly 53% majority stake in the Fininvest family holding. Fininvest also owns publisher Mondadori; vast luxury real estate properties in Milan,...
- 7/6/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Silvio Berlusconi has left the keys to his business kingdom to his eldest two children, Marina and Pier Silvio, his will has revealed.
The children are both key executives in the Berlusconi media empire, with Maria Berlusconi the Chairman of family investment vehicle Fininvest and Pier Silvio Berlusconi the CEO of MediaForEurope (Mfe), the European broadcasting business that his father founded decades ago.
Together, they will control about 53% of the Fininvest family business. Each will take an equal stake.
Controversial four-time former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi passed away on June 12 in Milan, having been in bad health for some time. Following his passing, focus turned to his state funeral and who would take over his sprawling business empire. It is estimated Berlusconi’s assets are worth nearly $7B.
His will was made public today, revealing the business succession plan. According to its terms, Marina and Pier Silvio take about 60% of the assets,...
The children are both key executives in the Berlusconi media empire, with Maria Berlusconi the Chairman of family investment vehicle Fininvest and Pier Silvio Berlusconi the CEO of MediaForEurope (Mfe), the European broadcasting business that his father founded decades ago.
Together, they will control about 53% of the Fininvest family business. Each will take an equal stake.
Controversial four-time former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi passed away on June 12 in Milan, having been in bad health for some time. Following his passing, focus turned to his state funeral and who would take over his sprawling business empire. It is estimated Berlusconi’s assets are worth nearly $7B.
His will was made public today, revealing the business succession plan. According to its terms, Marina and Pier Silvio take about 60% of the assets,...
- 7/6/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
The lurid giant of Italian populism’s career grew out of his media empire, which heralded post-ideological society with a consumerist dreamworld
Silvio Berlusconi was, in more ways than one, the televisual prophet of the neoliberal age. Though he officially entered politics only in 1994, his cultural hegemony began long before. From the early 80s, Berlusconi ruled Italy by means of entertainment, managing political life the same way he did his media conglomerates, translating Reaganite hedonism into Italian. His private TV channels changed the tastes of Italian audiences by bringing the action-filled dreams of American capitalism into their living rooms.
The fuel that propelled the early days of Berlusconi’s Mediaset empire was cinema, mostly American cinema. The budget for original content was limited, so pay TV filled programming schedules with films. Films that, back then, one could not see on other channels. For more than two decades, Mediaset successfully challenged the state television monopoly,...
Silvio Berlusconi was, in more ways than one, the televisual prophet of the neoliberal age. Though he officially entered politics only in 1994, his cultural hegemony began long before. From the early 80s, Berlusconi ruled Italy by means of entertainment, managing political life the same way he did his media conglomerates, translating Reaganite hedonism into Italian. His private TV channels changed the tastes of Italian audiences by bringing the action-filled dreams of American capitalism into their living rooms.
The fuel that propelled the early days of Berlusconi’s Mediaset empire was cinema, mostly American cinema. The budget for original content was limited, so pay TV filled programming schedules with films. Films that, back then, one could not see on other channels. For more than two decades, Mediaset successfully challenged the state television monopoly,...
- 6/16/2023
- by Giovanni Vimercati
- The Guardian - Film News
Italians on Wednesday bid farewell to TV tycoon and former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi with a national day of mourning and a state funeral in Milan’s Duomo cathedral attended by top local political and business leaders and some foreign dignitaries, aired live across all the country’s main media outlets.
After the hearse with Berlusconi’s flower-draped casket drove slowly through Milan streets amid cheers, tens of thousands of people outside the Duomo erupted in applause as pallbearers solemnly carried the coffin through the crowd. Inside the cathedral his five children, Marina, Pier Silvio, Barbara, Eleonora and Luigi, and his 34-year-old girlfriend Marta Fascina, shed tears as the casket was placed in front of the altar and the Archbishop of Milan, Monsignor Mario Delpini, began the service.
Berlusconi died on Monday at age 86 at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan due to complications from leukemia. The man who created...
After the hearse with Berlusconi’s flower-draped casket drove slowly through Milan streets amid cheers, tens of thousands of people outside the Duomo erupted in applause as pallbearers solemnly carried the coffin through the crowd. Inside the cathedral his five children, Marina, Pier Silvio, Barbara, Eleonora and Luigi, and his 34-year-old girlfriend Marta Fascina, shed tears as the casket was placed in front of the altar and the Archbishop of Milan, Monsignor Mario Delpini, began the service.
Berlusconi died on Monday at age 86 at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan due to complications from leukemia. The man who created...
- 6/14/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
There are many reasons why Silvio Berlusconi’s death, at 86 due to complications from chronic leukemia, represents the end of an era.
Berlusconi single-handedly created the concept of private national network television in Italy. He was part of that rare breed of Logan Roy-esque media moguls to emerge in Europe in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including Rupert Murdoch and Germany’s Leo Kirch. At a time when Italy’s airwaves were monopolized by state broadcaster Rai’s stodgy channels, his Mediaset TV platform imported Hollywood series such as “Dallas” and “Baywatch” and movies like “Rambo” and “Conan the Barbarian.” The locally produced topless quiz show “Colpo Grosso” also defined Berlusconi’s TV pioneer days. There was no turning back.
After his Mediaset TV venture boomed and the self-made mogul snapped up daily newspaper Il Giornale, the A.C. Milan soccer team, film company Medusa, and top Italian publisher Mondadori,...
Berlusconi single-handedly created the concept of private national network television in Italy. He was part of that rare breed of Logan Roy-esque media moguls to emerge in Europe in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including Rupert Murdoch and Germany’s Leo Kirch. At a time when Italy’s airwaves were monopolized by state broadcaster Rai’s stodgy channels, his Mediaset TV platform imported Hollywood series such as “Dallas” and “Baywatch” and movies like “Rambo” and “Conan the Barbarian.” The locally produced topless quiz show “Colpo Grosso” also defined Berlusconi’s TV pioneer days. There was no turning back.
After his Mediaset TV venture boomed and the self-made mogul snapped up daily newspaper Il Giornale, the A.C. Milan soccer team, film company Medusa, and top Italian publisher Mondadori,...
- 6/13/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
It was like the episode in Succession when Logan Roy dies: The news arrived on everyone’s phones simultaneously. It interrupted business meetings and casual gatherings, and disrupted students taking exams and end-of-season playoff games. It arrived in our offices, in our homes, while we were waiting in the checkout line of the supermarket. “Berlusconi is dead.”
It was an arresting moment in everyone’s life, all over the country. Everyone’s first reaction was the same: Are you sure? Students living abroad called their parents to check: Is it true?
No one believed it was possible. World-builders just don’t die. Who saw him, who was with him? Who can confirm? The doctors. The hospital confirmed. Yes, Silvio Berlusconi is dead.
He was 86 years old. He was suffering from leukemia. He leaves behind a very large family, confidants and caregivers in enormous numbers, a substantial number of widows, five children,...
It was an arresting moment in everyone’s life, all over the country. Everyone’s first reaction was the same: Are you sure? Students living abroad called their parents to check: Is it true?
No one believed it was possible. World-builders just don’t die. Who saw him, who was with him? Who can confirm? The doctors. The hospital confirmed. Yes, Silvio Berlusconi is dead.
He was 86 years old. He was suffering from leukemia. He leaves behind a very large family, confidants and caregivers in enormous numbers, a substantial number of widows, five children,...
- 6/12/2023
- by Concita De Gregorio
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
One of the biggest personalities in world media and politics is no more.
Whatever you thought of him, Silvio Berlusconi had a seismic impact on the European political sphere and the continent’s broadcasting landscape, in a way that many believe was completely intertwined.
Italy’s longest-serving post-war prime minister and the founder of European networks giant Mediaset died Monday at 86, and the onlookers have swiftly turned to his legacy and the future of his prized media assets. Mediaset, with its powerful Italian and Spanish subsidiaries, is now part of MediaForEurope (Mfe) — a conglomerate with a stake of nearly 30% in German heavyweight ProSiebenSat.1 alongside having TV broadcasting, production, podcasting and publishing assets.
Berlusconi’s route to the top of Europe’s media landscape is well-storied. Born into a middle-class family in Milan just before World War II, the tycoon was known throughout the world as a man who courted controversy wherever he went.
Whatever you thought of him, Silvio Berlusconi had a seismic impact on the European political sphere and the continent’s broadcasting landscape, in a way that many believe was completely intertwined.
Italy’s longest-serving post-war prime minister and the founder of European networks giant Mediaset died Monday at 86, and the onlookers have swiftly turned to his legacy and the future of his prized media assets. Mediaset, with its powerful Italian and Spanish subsidiaries, is now part of MediaForEurope (Mfe) — a conglomerate with a stake of nearly 30% in German heavyweight ProSiebenSat.1 alongside having TV broadcasting, production, podcasting and publishing assets.
Berlusconi’s route to the top of Europe’s media landscape is well-storied. Born into a middle-class family in Milan just before World War II, the tycoon was known throughout the world as a man who courted controversy wherever he went.
- 6/12/2023
- by Max Goldbart and Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Reactions are pouring in across Italy and globally to the death on Monday of scandal-tainted media mogul and politician Silvio Berlusconi that marks the end of an Italian era and raises questions about the future of his empire which spans from TV, advertising, and sports to real estate and insurance.
Berlusconi, who was 86, died Monday morning at Milan’s San Raffaele hospital from complications of a lung infection due to chronic leukemia. At his bedside where four of his five children Eleonora, Barbara, Marina and Pier Silvio and his brother Paolo.
As former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi, a political rival and leader of Italy’s centrist Italia Viva party put it: “Silvio Berlusconi made the history of this country. Many loved him, many hated him: everyone must recognize that his impact on our political life, as well as on its economic, sports and television spheres, was unprecedented. Today Italy mourns together with his family,...
Berlusconi, who was 86, died Monday morning at Milan’s San Raffaele hospital from complications of a lung infection due to chronic leukemia. At his bedside where four of his five children Eleonora, Barbara, Marina and Pier Silvio and his brother Paolo.
As former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi, a political rival and leader of Italy’s centrist Italia Viva party put it: “Silvio Berlusconi made the history of this country. Many loved him, many hated him: everyone must recognize that his impact on our political life, as well as on its economic, sports and television spheres, was unprecedented. Today Italy mourns together with his family,...
- 6/12/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Italian business magnate and politician had been receiving treatment for chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia,
Former Italian prime minister and media magnate Silvio Berlusconi has died aged 86.
He died at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan, according to Italian media.
Three weeks earlier he had been discharged after six weeks of treatment for a lung infection caused by chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia, a rare form of blood cancer.
Berlusconi began his business career in property development before going on to found Mediaset, Italy’s largest commercial broadcaster. He also owned AC Milan football club between 1986 and 2017.
Berlusconi first came to office in 1994 at...
Former Italian prime minister and media magnate Silvio Berlusconi has died aged 86.
He died at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan, according to Italian media.
Three weeks earlier he had been discharged after six weeks of treatment for a lung infection caused by chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia, a rare form of blood cancer.
Berlusconi began his business career in property development before going on to found Mediaset, Italy’s largest commercial broadcaster. He also owned AC Milan football club between 1986 and 2017.
Berlusconi first came to office in 1994 at...
- 6/12/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Flamboyant and controversial Italian media mogul and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who made headlines with his media empire, scandals over sex-fueled parties and corruption allegations alike, has died. He was 86.
Local media reports said he died at the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan. Berlusconi had been admitted to the hospital Friday for treatment of chronic leukemia, according to the Associated Press.
The twice-divorced tycoon, known for his perpetual tan and much younger girlfriends, made a name for himself as one of the richest people in the country and as the controlling shareholder of Mediaset, Italy’s largest media company, which owns three leading private TV channels. Seen by critics as an Italian version of Rupert Murdoch and other media titans, Berlusconi was regularly attacked for his dominance of the Italian media landscape.
After getting a law degree, he started a real estate company and had success by constructing apartment...
Local media reports said he died at the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan. Berlusconi had been admitted to the hospital Friday for treatment of chronic leukemia, according to the Associated Press.
The twice-divorced tycoon, known for his perpetual tan and much younger girlfriends, made a name for himself as one of the richest people in the country and as the controlling shareholder of Mediaset, Italy’s largest media company, which owns three leading private TV channels. Seen by critics as an Italian version of Rupert Murdoch and other media titans, Berlusconi was regularly attacked for his dominance of the Italian media landscape.
After getting a law degree, he started a real estate company and had success by constructing apartment...
- 6/12/2023
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Silvio Berlusconi, the billionaire media-mogul-turned politician who defined a three-decade-long era in postwar Italy during which TV spin, tainting allegations of corruption and sex scandals were pervasive — but who also achieved unprecedented political stability in the country — has died. He was 86.
Berlusconi died at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan, according to Italian media reports. He had been suffering from leukaemia and had recently developed a lung infection.
After building a fortune by launching Italian private TV with his Mediaset empire, Berlusconi entered politics in 1993, was elected prime minister in 1994, and went on to serve as the country’s premier three times, not consecutively, becoming the longest serving democratically elected Italian leader. He was ousted from parliament in 2013 following a tax fraud conviction.
Berlusconi’s construction company Edilnord built a modernistic complex on Milan’s outskirts, named Milano 2, which he outfitted with an internal cable TV station, called Telemilano. Launched...
Berlusconi died at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan, according to Italian media reports. He had been suffering from leukaemia and had recently developed a lung infection.
After building a fortune by launching Italian private TV with his Mediaset empire, Berlusconi entered politics in 1993, was elected prime minister in 1994, and went on to serve as the country’s premier three times, not consecutively, becoming the longest serving democratically elected Italian leader. He was ousted from parliament in 2013 following a tax fraud conviction.
Berlusconi’s construction company Edilnord built a modernistic complex on Milan’s outskirts, named Milano 2, which he outfitted with an internal cable TV station, called Telemilano. Launched...
- 6/12/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli and Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian Prime Minister and media mogul, has died at 86, according to Italian media reports. Local press said Berlusconi died at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan. He had been in poor health and, in April, was treated for a lung infection linked to a previously undisclosed case of chronic leukemia.
Related: Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries
Berlusconi was a highly controversial former Italian Prime Minister and media mogul who was a giant of Italian politics and the longest-serving in the post since World War II.
He served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 2011 and had recently been returned to the Senate of the Republic in the Giorgia Meloni government, leading the centre-right Forza Italia Party. Given his domineering political position, his death could lead to a destabilization of Italian politics in the coming months.
Along with A.C. Milan football club,...
Related: Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries
Berlusconi was a highly controversial former Italian Prime Minister and media mogul who was a giant of Italian politics and the longest-serving in the post since World War II.
He served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 2011 and had recently been returned to the Senate of the Republic in the Giorgia Meloni government, leading the centre-right Forza Italia Party. Given his domineering political position, his death could lead to a destabilization of Italian politics in the coming months.
Along with A.C. Milan football club,...
- 6/12/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Media mogul and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was admitted to intensive care at a hospital in Milan on Wednesday and is in serious but stable condition according to local media.
Corriere Della Sera reported the 86-year-old Forza Italia founder is being treated at the San Raffaele Hospital for pneumonia stemming from a form of leukemia; this has not yet been publicly confirmed by doctors, but Reuters also reported the diagnosis citing a source. No medical bulletins were issued yesterday and it remains unclear if there will be any today. According to Forza Italia leader Paolo Barelli, Berlusconi spent “a quiet night” on Wednesday.
Berlusconi had been at San Raffaele for a few days undergoing routine tests last week. In a Facebook post after being discharged, he said he had “already returned to work on the main issues of the days, ready and determined to commit myself, as I always have,...
Corriere Della Sera reported the 86-year-old Forza Italia founder is being treated at the San Raffaele Hospital for pneumonia stemming from a form of leukemia; this has not yet been publicly confirmed by doctors, but Reuters also reported the diagnosis citing a source. No medical bulletins were issued yesterday and it remains unclear if there will be any today. According to Forza Italia leader Paolo Barelli, Berlusconi spent “a quiet night” on Wednesday.
Berlusconi had been at San Raffaele for a few days undergoing routine tests last week. In a Facebook post after being discharged, he said he had “already returned to work on the main issues of the days, ready and determined to commit myself, as I always have,...
- 4/6/2023
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
German media group ProSiebenSat.1 is to double down on entertainment investments and is eyeing acquisitions, as it puts streaming service Joyn at the center of its business.
A statement released this morning outlined ProSieben’s strategic focus going forwards to address “tech challenges of the market environment and the changing media landscape,” with acquisitions playing a core part in the plan.
ProSieben’s Entertainment division operates a number of terrestrial networks, which play shows such as The Masked Singer Germany and Next Top Model, and is now the sole owner of streaming service Joyn. It also operates Dating & Video and Commerce & Ventures arms. The company’s channels reach around 60 million viewers a week in total, according to its data.
According to ProSiebenSat.1 Media CEO Bert Habets, the network has “everything it takes to reach millions every day,” and noted: “In the future our investment focus will be on our entertainment business.
A statement released this morning outlined ProSieben’s strategic focus going forwards to address “tech challenges of the market environment and the changing media landscape,” with acquisitions playing a core part in the plan.
ProSieben’s Entertainment division operates a number of terrestrial networks, which play shows such as The Masked Singer Germany and Next Top Model, and is now the sole owner of streaming service Joyn. It also operates Dating & Video and Commerce & Ventures arms. The company’s channels reach around 60 million viewers a week in total, according to its data.
According to ProSiebenSat.1 Media CEO Bert Habets, the network has “everything it takes to reach millions every day,” and noted: “In the future our investment focus will be on our entertainment business.
- 3/28/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Mediaset CEO Pier Silvio Berlusconi has given his verdict on an upcoming video appearance by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Italy’s iconic Sanremo song festival, adding fuel to an ongoing political debate around the operation.
Speaking at a press conference for Mediaset results on Thursday, Berlusconi said he did not feel the festival, celebrating Italian song, was the right place for such an address.
The TV exec and entrepreneur is the son of Italian media tycoon and politician Silvio Berlusconi, who has described himself as one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest friends.
Zelensky has made video addresses at a raft of cultural and entertainment events since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, including the Cannes and Venice films festivals, the Golden Globes and U.K.’s Glastonbury music festival.
Plans to carry out a similar operation on the final night of Sanremo on...
Speaking at a press conference for Mediaset results on Thursday, Berlusconi said he did not feel the festival, celebrating Italian song, was the right place for such an address.
The TV exec and entrepreneur is the son of Italian media tycoon and politician Silvio Berlusconi, who has described himself as one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest friends.
Zelensky has made video addresses at a raft of cultural and entertainment events since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, including the Cannes and Venice films festivals, the Golden Globes and U.K.’s Glastonbury music festival.
Plans to carry out a similar operation on the final night of Sanremo on...
- 2/2/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
New York City’s fabled movie rental chain, Kim’s Video, shuttered its downtown locations throughout the early-to-mid aughts, offering an early warning sign that the cinema as we once knew it was dying, or at least migrating to other formats.
The chain’s disappearance left an open wound among lower Manhattan film buffs, stranding Kim’s hundreds of thousands of members without a good place — any place, actually — to rent movies, while leaving behind a collection of 55,000 VHS tapes and DVDs that encompassed everything from horror flicks like C.H.U.D. to the complete works of Paul Morrissey to bootleg copies of Jean-Luc Godard’s Histoire(s) du cinéma.
What happened to Kim’s treasure trove of films remained a mystery for quite some time, with occasional stories popping up — including a long-form Village Voice piece by movie critic and podcaster Karina Longworth (You Must Remember This) — explaining...
The chain’s disappearance left an open wound among lower Manhattan film buffs, stranding Kim’s hundreds of thousands of members without a good place — any place, actually — to rent movies, while leaving behind a collection of 55,000 VHS tapes and DVDs that encompassed everything from horror flicks like C.H.U.D. to the complete works of Paul Morrissey to bootleg copies of Jean-Luc Godard’s Histoire(s) du cinéma.
What happened to Kim’s treasure trove of films remained a mystery for quite some time, with occasional stories popping up — including a long-form Village Voice piece by movie critic and podcaster Karina Longworth (You Must Remember This) — explaining...
- 1/20/2023
- by Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Updated: Cecchi Gori, the movie company that once dominated Italy’s film industry and collapsed in the mid 1990s, is being revived by a group of Italian investors that are backing a partial relaunch of the storied brand behind Oscar winners “Life is Beautiful,” “Mediterraneo” and “Il Postino.”
Cecchi Gori Group was officially ruled bankrupt in 2006 by a Rome court after being awash in red ink for a decade after its owner, movie mogul Vittorio Cecchi Gori, branched out from film into television and acquired the A.C. Fiorentina soccer club in a bold expansion attempt that put him in competition with Silvio Berlusconi and went horribly wrong.
But even after the company’s various Italian sides went bust, its U.S. branches – Cecchi Gori U.S.A. and Cecchi Gori Pictures – continued to operate, headed by producer Niels Juul. Operating out of Los Angeles, Juul has been instrumental to...
Cecchi Gori Group was officially ruled bankrupt in 2006 by a Rome court after being awash in red ink for a decade after its owner, movie mogul Vittorio Cecchi Gori, branched out from film into television and acquired the A.C. Fiorentina soccer club in a bold expansion attempt that put him in competition with Silvio Berlusconi and went horribly wrong.
But even after the company’s various Italian sides went bust, its U.S. branches – Cecchi Gori U.S.A. and Cecchi Gori Pictures – continued to operate, headed by producer Niels Juul. Operating out of Los Angeles, Juul has been instrumental to...
- 12/23/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
German broadcasting powerhouse ProSiebenSat.1 Media has posted third quarter group revenues of €921M (955.7M), a drop of 13. Profits also fell from EUR162M in the same three months last year to €118M, and adjusted net income was €43M.
In a “very challenging market environment,” the Unterföhring-based company noted its nine-month group revenues were “almost stable” at €2.93Bn and said its cash flow management had been “effective,” with net financial debt falling €372 to €1.74Bn. The results also included a non-cash impairment of EUR312M of its NuCom Group and organic group revenues were down 9.
The news comes soon after ProSiebenSat.1 reorganized its international production and distirbution companies under new arm Seven.One Studios. That followed the sale of its Red Arrow Studios U.S. production assets to Peter Chernin’s The North Road Company and the move to take over Warner Bros Discovery’s shares in streamer Joyn, which is moving to...
In a “very challenging market environment,” the Unterföhring-based company noted its nine-month group revenues were “almost stable” at €2.93Bn and said its cash flow management had been “effective,” with net financial debt falling €372 to €1.74Bn. The results also included a non-cash impairment of EUR312M of its NuCom Group and organic group revenues were down 9.
The news comes soon after ProSiebenSat.1 reorganized its international production and distirbution companies under new arm Seven.One Studios. That followed the sale of its Red Arrow Studios U.S. production assets to Peter Chernin’s The North Road Company and the move to take over Warner Bros Discovery’s shares in streamer Joyn, which is moving to...
- 11/15/2022
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Germany’s Rtl Group is holding on to its controlling stake in M6 Group, France’s second largest commercial TV entity.
The decision, which was announced on Monday evening local time, follows Rtl Group parent company Bertelsmann’s strategic review of its options after the German broadcasting giant received several “financially attractive offers” for its 48.3 stake in M6.
Thomas Rabe, CEO of Rtl Group, said: “Rtl Group has been a strategic shareholder in Groupe M6 for 35 years. Groupe M6 is one of the best-run TV companies in Europe with an excellent management team, led by its CEO Nicolas de Tavernost. In 2021, Groupe M6 achieved record operating results. We will continue to pursue our strategy to build national media groups of sufficient size to compete with the U.S. platforms.”
The company was believed to be courting offers from three major bidders.
These include a vehicle comprising Xavier Niel, the French...
The decision, which was announced on Monday evening local time, follows Rtl Group parent company Bertelsmann’s strategic review of its options after the German broadcasting giant received several “financially attractive offers” for its 48.3 stake in M6.
Thomas Rabe, CEO of Rtl Group, said: “Rtl Group has been a strategic shareholder in Groupe M6 for 35 years. Groupe M6 is one of the best-run TV companies in Europe with an excellent management team, led by its CEO Nicolas de Tavernost. In 2021, Groupe M6 achieved record operating results. We will continue to pursue our strategy to build national media groups of sufficient size to compete with the U.S. platforms.”
The company was believed to be courting offers from three major bidders.
These include a vehicle comprising Xavier Niel, the French...
- 10/3/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
French broadcaster M6 is no longer for sale.
In the past few minutes, owner Rtl Group, which itself is owned by Bertelsmann, has decided against selling its controlling 48.3 stake in the company following the breakdown of M6’s merger with TF1 due to competition concerns.
A number had been interested after Rtl put M6 on the sales block including a consortium led by Banijay chairman Stéphane Courbit, former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s Mfe-MadeForEurope and French telecommunications billionaire Xavier Niel, and Czech businessman Daniel Kretinsky.
Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Rabe said the decision was taken following a review of strategic options after he received several attractive offers. Rtl has owned the network for 35 years.
“Groupe M6 is one of the best-run TV companies in Europe with an excellent management team, led by its CEO Nicolas de Tavernost,” he added. “In 2021, Groupe M6 achieved record operating results. We will continue to...
In the past few minutes, owner Rtl Group, which itself is owned by Bertelsmann, has decided against selling its controlling 48.3 stake in the company following the breakdown of M6’s merger with TF1 due to competition concerns.
A number had been interested after Rtl put M6 on the sales block including a consortium led by Banijay chairman Stéphane Courbit, former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s Mfe-MadeForEurope and French telecommunications billionaire Xavier Niel, and Czech businessman Daniel Kretinsky.
Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Rabe said the decision was taken following a review of strategic options after he received several attractive offers. Rtl has owned the network for 35 years.
“Groupe M6 is one of the best-run TV companies in Europe with an excellent management team, led by its CEO Nicolas de Tavernost,” he added. “In 2021, Groupe M6 achieved record operating results. We will continue to...
- 10/3/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
German media group Bertelsmann is expected to weigh in over the weekend on the offers it received for Rtl Group’s 48.3 stake in M6 Group, France’s second largest commercial TV group.
Bertelsmann put M6 Group back on the market a little over a week ago, after its planned merger with Bouygues-owned TF1 Group was abandoned due to a number of competition concerns raised by France’s anti-trust board.
Bertelsmann’s chief executive Thomas Rabe asked to receive non-binding offers by Sept. 23 to test the market and received offers from three major bidders, according to Le Point.
These include a vehicle comprising Xavier Niel, the French billionaire behind the telecom group Iliad who co-founded Mediawan, and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s Mfe-MadeForEurope; as well as a consortium including Stéphane Courbit, chairman of TV powerhouse Banijay, Rodolphe Saadé, the French shipping billionaire, and Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière, chairman of...
Bertelsmann put M6 Group back on the market a little over a week ago, after its planned merger with Bouygues-owned TF1 Group was abandoned due to a number of competition concerns raised by France’s anti-trust board.
Bertelsmann’s chief executive Thomas Rabe asked to receive non-binding offers by Sept. 23 to test the market and received offers from three major bidders, according to Le Point.
These include a vehicle comprising Xavier Niel, the French billionaire behind the telecom group Iliad who co-founded Mediawan, and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s Mfe-MadeForEurope; as well as a consortium including Stéphane Courbit, chairman of TV powerhouse Banijay, Rodolphe Saadé, the French shipping billionaire, and Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière, chairman of...
- 9/30/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Italy, and all of Europe, awoke Monday to a new political reality after far-right politician Giorgia Meloni claimed victory in Italy’s snap elections. With nearly all the results in, Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, a group with neofascist origins, secured the biggest share of votes.
Her far-right coalition, which includes the League, headed by Matteo Salvini, and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party, have a clear majority and should be able to form a new government. Such a coalition of nationalist and far-right parties would represent Italy’s most rightwing government since the end of Benito Mussolini’s reign in 1945. Meloni has made a name for herself with starkly conservative stances, on abortion, immigration and LGBTQ+ rights.
Given the seismic political shift, it was perhaps surprising to see few voices among Italy’s traditionally leftist entertainment industry raised in protest. Only...
Italy, and all of Europe, awoke Monday to a new political reality after far-right politician Giorgia Meloni claimed victory in Italy’s snap elections. With nearly all the results in, Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, a group with neofascist origins, secured the biggest share of votes.
Her far-right coalition, which includes the League, headed by Matteo Salvini, and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party, have a clear majority and should be able to form a new government. Such a coalition of nationalist and far-right parties would represent Italy’s most rightwing government since the end of Benito Mussolini’s reign in 1945. Meloni has made a name for herself with starkly conservative stances, on abortion, immigration and LGBTQ+ rights.
Given the seismic political shift, it was perhaps surprising to see few voices among Italy’s traditionally leftist entertainment industry raised in protest. Only...
- 9/26/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Italy on Monday took a sharp turn towards the right as Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party, which has neo-fascist roots, emerged as big winners in the country’s national elections.
Final results on Monday showed Meloni and her party winning roughly 26 of the vote and the center-right coalition she leads scoring 44 of parliamentary preferences. Within that coalition Matteo Salvini’s anti-immigrant League won nearly 9 and former prime minister and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia took 8. A much smaller member of the coalition, called the Moderates, took less than 1.
Meloni’s closest challenger, with some 19.3 of the vote, is the center-left Democratic Party headed by Enrico Letta, who has announced his resignation. Italy’s anti-establishment 5-Star Movement — which had won the vote in Italy’s 2018 parliamentary elections — saw its support halved to some 15 this time around.
Meloni, who is 45, is now poised to become Italy’s first female prime minister,...
Final results on Monday showed Meloni and her party winning roughly 26 of the vote and the center-right coalition she leads scoring 44 of parliamentary preferences. Within that coalition Matteo Salvini’s anti-immigrant League won nearly 9 and former prime minister and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia took 8. A much smaller member of the coalition, called the Moderates, took less than 1.
Meloni’s closest challenger, with some 19.3 of the vote, is the center-left Democratic Party headed by Enrico Letta, who has announced his resignation. Italy’s anti-establishment 5-Star Movement — which had won the vote in Italy’s 2018 parliamentary elections — saw its support halved to some 15 this time around.
Meloni, who is 45, is now poised to become Italy’s first female prime minister,...
- 9/26/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
A consortium led by Banijay chairman Stéphane Courbit is leading the race to acquire French broadcaster M6, according to reports, with shares in the Bertelsmann-owned network spiking on news of several planned offers.
Bloomberg News cited an unnamed source saying Courbit and his partners, who include shipping mogul Rodolphe Saade and businessman Marc Ladreit de Lacharriere, have offered an all-cash €20 (20) a share for owner Bertelsmann’s stake in the channel, which was set to merge with French rival TF1 Group until the agreement collapsed under the weight of regulatory scrutiny last week.
This would value the 48 stake at around €1.22Bn. M6’s share price has risen from around €13.35 on Friday to well over €15 this morning in Europe, with Courbit’s offer therefore representing a significant premium.
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s Mfe-MadeForEurope has reportedly teamed with French telecommunications billionaire Xavier Niel, who co-founded Mediawan, to bid for...
Bloomberg News cited an unnamed source saying Courbit and his partners, who include shipping mogul Rodolphe Saade and businessman Marc Ladreit de Lacharriere, have offered an all-cash €20 (20) a share for owner Bertelsmann’s stake in the channel, which was set to merge with French rival TF1 Group until the agreement collapsed under the weight of regulatory scrutiny last week.
This would value the 48 stake at around €1.22Bn. M6’s share price has risen from around €13.35 on Friday to well over €15 this morning in Europe, with Courbit’s offer therefore representing a significant premium.
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s Mfe-MadeForEurope has reportedly teamed with French telecommunications billionaire Xavier Niel, who co-founded Mediawan, to bid for...
- 9/26/2022
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Updated: The victory of right-wing politician Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party in Italian general elections on Sunday has been confirmed as results continued to roll in on Monday morning.
As of 11:14 am local time, Brothers of Italy had clinched a 26.1 share of the vote for both the lower house and senate.
“The electorate has shown they want a center-right government led by the Brothers of Italy,” Meloni said in a short speech in the early hours of Monday morning, as exit polls and projections pointed to victory for her party.
Meloni is expected to take on the role of Italy’s first female prime minister and form Italy’s most right-wing government since World War Two with Matteo Salvini’s far-right League, Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, and the smaller Noi Moderati party.
The League and Forza Italia’s results were far from stellar,...
As of 11:14 am local time, Brothers of Italy had clinched a 26.1 share of the vote for both the lower house and senate.
“The electorate has shown they want a center-right government led by the Brothers of Italy,” Meloni said in a short speech in the early hours of Monday morning, as exit polls and projections pointed to victory for her party.
Meloni is expected to take on the role of Italy’s first female prime minister and form Italy’s most right-wing government since World War Two with Matteo Salvini’s far-right League, Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, and the smaller Noi Moderati party.
The League and Forza Italia’s results were far from stellar,...
- 9/26/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
German media group Bertelsmann has put its TV group M6, France’s second-biggest commercial broadcaster, back on the market following its abandoned merger with TF1.
Bertelsmann’s chief executive Thomas Rabe told the Financial Times that he has asked to receive non-binding offers by Friday to “test the market” after being “inundated with expressions of interest.”
Bertelsmann’s Rtl Group owns a 48.3 stake in M6
Among those expected to bid are a consortium of high-profile French entrepreneurs including Rodolphe Saadé, the French shipping billionaire; Stéphane Courbit, chairman of TV powerhouse Banijay; and Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière, chairman of the investment vehicle Fimalac, Variety has confirmed.
The Financial Times reports that some other players that bid during the last auction and lost — including Xavier Niel, the telecom billionaire and co-founder of Mediawan, and Silvio Berlusconi’s conglomerate MediaForEurope — are believed to be considering renewed bids.
M6 saw its share drop by...
Bertelsmann’s chief executive Thomas Rabe told the Financial Times that he has asked to receive non-binding offers by Friday to “test the market” after being “inundated with expressions of interest.”
Bertelsmann’s Rtl Group owns a 48.3 stake in M6
Among those expected to bid are a consortium of high-profile French entrepreneurs including Rodolphe Saadé, the French shipping billionaire; Stéphane Courbit, chairman of TV powerhouse Banijay; and Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière, chairman of the investment vehicle Fimalac, Variety has confirmed.
The Financial Times reports that some other players that bid during the last auction and lost — including Xavier Niel, the telecom billionaire and co-founder of Mediawan, and Silvio Berlusconi’s conglomerate MediaForEurope — are believed to be considering renewed bids.
M6 saw its share drop by...
- 9/22/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Top Italian private broadcaster Mediaset, which is being rebranded as MediaForEurope (Mfe), has completed the takeover bid of its Spanish TV subsidiary Mediaset Espana in what is being touted as the first step “towards the creation of a pan-European group,” the company has announced.
After launching a cash-and-shares takeover bid for the 44 stake of its Spanish unit that it did not own, the broadcaster controlled by former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s family now holds a roughly 83 stake in Mediaset Espana, which is Spain’s leading private free-tv player. Mediaset did not disclose the total cost of the takeover which has been valued at roughly €780 million (791 million).
The stated plan now is to look into a merger of Mediaset’s Spanish unit with its Milan-based Italian core company. More importantly, moves are said to be underway for the Spanish operation to spearhead the Mfe consolidation effort into other European countries.
After launching a cash-and-shares takeover bid for the 44 stake of its Spanish unit that it did not own, the broadcaster controlled by former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s family now holds a roughly 83 stake in Mediaset Espana, which is Spain’s leading private free-tv player. Mediaset did not disclose the total cost of the takeover which has been valued at roughly €780 million (791 million).
The stated plan now is to look into a merger of Mediaset’s Spanish unit with its Milan-based Italian core company. More importantly, moves are said to be underway for the Spanish operation to spearhead the Mfe consolidation effort into other European countries.
- 7/8/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Roberta Whiteman, a longtime editor for Variety who specialized in international coverage, died June 17 at a hospice facility near Vero Beach, Fla., where she lived. She was 62.
Known as Bobbie, the British native was a skilled copy editor and news editor who was an unfailingly sunny presence in Variety‘s newsroom for nearly 13 years. Whiteman demonstrated her courage, strength and resilience after being diagnosed in 2007 with a rare form of cancer that affected her spinal cord and brain.
Despite undergoing difficult treatments, Whiteman was rarely absent from the newsroom for long. She was renowned for her skill at sorting through the high volume of news filed round the clock by Variety‘s unmatched roster of international correspondents.
Whiteman knew every correspondent and stringer in every territory, and she also shouldered the unenviable task of helping to ensure that their freelance payments were sent out on time. She was an encyclopedia...
Known as Bobbie, the British native was a skilled copy editor and news editor who was an unfailingly sunny presence in Variety‘s newsroom for nearly 13 years. Whiteman demonstrated her courage, strength and resilience after being diagnosed in 2007 with a rare form of cancer that affected her spinal cord and brain.
Despite undergoing difficult treatments, Whiteman was rarely absent from the newsroom for long. She was renowned for her skill at sorting through the high volume of news filed round the clock by Variety‘s unmatched roster of international correspondents.
Whiteman knew every correspondent and stringer in every territory, and she also shouldered the unenviable task of helping to ensure that their freelance payments were sent out on time. She was an encyclopedia...
- 6/17/2022
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
The race for this year’s Emmy for Best Narrator just got its highest-profile potential nominee. Former President Barack Obama could very well win this category for his voice-over work in Netflix’s five-part docuseries “Our Great National Parks,” which premiered on April 13.
Obama’s narration helps the series explore the ecosystems that exist in the national parks of the United States, as well as in reserves all over the world. The show also looks at the role that humans play in threatening those ecosystems while also showing our ability to create these monuments to preservation.
SEEEmmy spotlight: Give ‘Better Things’ and creator/star Pamela Adlon their flowers now
The series was produced by Higher Ground Productions, which was founded in 2018 by Barack and Michelle Obama. While the company, which has an exclusive deal with Netflix, has only been around for four years, it has already proved to be a major player in awards races.
Obama’s narration helps the series explore the ecosystems that exist in the national parks of the United States, as well as in reserves all over the world. The show also looks at the role that humans play in threatening those ecosystems while also showing our ability to create these monuments to preservation.
SEEEmmy spotlight: Give ‘Better Things’ and creator/star Pamela Adlon their flowers now
The series was produced by Higher Ground Productions, which was founded in 2018 by Barack and Michelle Obama. While the company, which has an exclusive deal with Netflix, has only been around for four years, it has already proved to be a major player in awards races.
- 4/18/2022
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
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