Launched last year by Wes Anderson’s producing partners at Indian Paintbrush, Galerie has emerged as a well-curated film club publishing unique selections of films from artists with their personal annotations. With past lists from the likes of James Gray, Ed Lachman, Mike Mills, Karyn Kusama, Ethan Hawke, and more, today we’re pleased to exclusively share a sneak peek from the lists of two celebrated Chilean filmmakers, Pablo Larraín and Sebastián Lelio, which have recently landed on the site.
Both filmmakers are currently working on their latest projects: Larraín is helming the Angelina Jolie-led Maria Callas drama, while Lelio is handling the musical The Wave, inspired by Chile’s “feminist May” movement in 2018. While in post-production on the projects, they’ve shared their curated collections.
The Spencer and El Conde director features Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Cemetery of Splendor and Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing on his list,...
Both filmmakers are currently working on their latest projects: Larraín is helming the Angelina Jolie-led Maria Callas drama, while Lelio is handling the musical The Wave, inspired by Chile’s “feminist May” movement in 2018. While in post-production on the projects, they’ve shared their curated collections.
The Spencer and El Conde director features Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Cemetery of Splendor and Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing on his list,...
- 5/17/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Italian producers Mario Gianani and Lorenzo Mieli are entering the Mediawan fold after recently exiting Fremantle to jointly form a new independent outfit.
The two producers will both be in Cannes as executive producers with Fremantle movies premiering in the Cannes competition, Kirill Serebrennikov’s “Limonov” and Paolo Sorrentino’s “Parthenope,” respectively.
Mediawan, the production powerhouse that now comprises more than 85 labels around the world, is in the process of acquiring a 51% majority stake in Gianani and Mieli’s Rome-based Our Films company under a deal that will officially close in September, according to several sources.
Gianani and Mieli, who declined to be interviewed for this article, are still closely tied to Fremantle even after exiting their Fremantle-owned banners, Wildside and the Apartment, earlier this year. As previously announced, they have a co-production deal with Fremantle under which they will continue to shepherd a number of projects that they had in the Fremantle pipeline.
The two producers will both be in Cannes as executive producers with Fremantle movies premiering in the Cannes competition, Kirill Serebrennikov’s “Limonov” and Paolo Sorrentino’s “Parthenope,” respectively.
Mediawan, the production powerhouse that now comprises more than 85 labels around the world, is in the process of acquiring a 51% majority stake in Gianani and Mieli’s Rome-based Our Films company under a deal that will officially close in September, according to several sources.
Gianani and Mieli, who declined to be interviewed for this article, are still closely tied to Fremantle even after exiting their Fremantle-owned banners, Wildside and the Apartment, earlier this year. As previously announced, they have a co-production deal with Fremantle under which they will continue to shepherd a number of projects that they had in the Fremantle pipeline.
- 5/14/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Despite the glass-ceiling-smashing success of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, gender parity in the global film sector remains a distant goal. Re-Framing the Picture, a recent study from an international and multidisciplinary research team looking at the German, British and Canadian film industries, projects that, at the current rate of progress, true 50-50 equality in key creative positions won’t be reached until 2041 in Germany, 2085 in the U.K., and 2215 (!) in Canada. It’s not an optimistic forecast for the producers, managers, film executives and talents picked by THR as the most influential women in international cinema, but they continue to find new models to produce, finance and distribute movies that amplify diverse voices. More than ever, it’s their efforts that are required if the promise of a more representative and inclusive film industry is ever to be realized.
Mo Abudu
CEO, EbonyLife Media (Nigeria)
Africa’s production industry was...
Mo Abudu
CEO, EbonyLife Media (Nigeria)
Africa’s production industry was...
- 5/13/2024
- by Patrick Brzeski, Scott Roxborough and Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
We’re just two weeks away from the 77th Cannes Film Festival, and this morning the august French institution revealed who will determine the winners of this year’s awards. A cross-section of international talent will join “Barbie” and “Lady Bird” director Greta Gerwig, who will lead the panel, in an effort to undoubtedly compare apples to oranges and try to make sense of a diverse slate of films from directors like David Cronenberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Sean Baker, Ali Abbasi, and many others.
Lily Gladstone, who won several Best Actress awards last year (but not the Oscar!) for her revolutionary turn in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” is the other American joining Gerwig. The actress, currently seen on FX/Hulu’s “Under the Bridge,” is returning to Cannes one year after Martin Scorsese and Apple Original Films brought “Flower Moon” to the French Riviera festival for its out-of-competition debut.
Lily Gladstone, who won several Best Actress awards last year (but not the Oscar!) for her revolutionary turn in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” is the other American joining Gerwig. The actress, currently seen on FX/Hulu’s “Under the Bridge,” is returning to Cannes one year after Martin Scorsese and Apple Original Films brought “Flower Moon” to the French Riviera festival for its out-of-competition debut.
- 4/29/2024
- by Jordan Hoffman
- Gold Derby
Fremantle and Fabula have renewed their first-look partnership with an agreement they say will result in them working even more closely to develop a fresh slate of original dramas and films.
Under the accord, Fremantle’s international sales wing, Fmi, will distribute the drama projects worldwide.
Global production and distribution company Fremantle and Pablo and Juan de Dios Larraín’s Santiago, Chile-based banner Fabula struck their original first-look deal in 2019.
Under the accord, Fabula has produced prize-winning series La Jauría and Señorita 89 as well as the upcoming Midnight Family for Apple TV+, a 10-episode medical drama inspired by the award-winning documentary of the same name.
On the feature film front, Fabula and Fremantle have just wrapped production on Sebastián Lelio’s film musical The Wave, in partnership with Participant Media.
The drama tells the story of the mass university rallies that took place during Chile’s so-called “Feminist May” in...
Under the accord, Fremantle’s international sales wing, Fmi, will distribute the drama projects worldwide.
Global production and distribution company Fremantle and Pablo and Juan de Dios Larraín’s Santiago, Chile-based banner Fabula struck their original first-look deal in 2019.
Under the accord, Fabula has produced prize-winning series La Jauría and Señorita 89 as well as the upcoming Midnight Family for Apple TV+, a 10-episode medical drama inspired by the award-winning documentary of the same name.
On the feature film front, Fabula and Fremantle have just wrapped production on Sebastián Lelio’s film musical The Wave, in partnership with Participant Media.
The drama tells the story of the mass university rallies that took place during Chile’s so-called “Feminist May” in...
- 4/16/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Fremantle has renewed its first-look deal with Fabula, the production company set up by Pablo Larraín and his producer brother Juan de Dios Larraín. According to the companies, the new partnership will see the two work more closely together, developing a slate of original dramas and films, which Fremantle’s international sales wing Fmi will distribute worldwide.
Under the original first-look partnership, signed in 2019, Fabula produced the award-winning series “La Jauría” and “Señorita 89” and the upcoming “Midnight Family” for Apple TV+, a 10-episode medical drama inspired by the award-winning documentary of the same name.
Fabula and Fremantle have just wrapped production on Sebabstián Lelio’s film musical “The Wave,” in partnership with Participant Media. “The Wave” tells the story of the mass protests that took place during the so-called “feminist May” in 2018, which created an iconic moment in the Chilean consciousness and reverberated across the region.
Later this year,...
Under the original first-look partnership, signed in 2019, Fabula produced the award-winning series “La Jauría” and “Señorita 89” and the upcoming “Midnight Family” for Apple TV+, a 10-episode medical drama inspired by the award-winning documentary of the same name.
Fabula and Fremantle have just wrapped production on Sebabstián Lelio’s film musical “The Wave,” in partnership with Participant Media. “The Wave” tells the story of the mass protests that took place during the so-called “feminist May” in 2018, which created an iconic moment in the Chilean consciousness and reverberated across the region.
Later this year,...
- 4/16/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Fremantle has renewed its first-look deal with Fabula, the Chilean production company run by acclaimed director Pablo Larrain and brother Juan de Dios Larrain.
Fabula’s filmography includes Larrain’s Oscar-winning A Fantastic Woman and the Oscar-nominated Jackie as well as Spencer and El Conde.
The agreement will see Fremantle and Fabula continue to work together with Fremantle’s CEO, global drama, Christian Vesper and Seb Shorr, COO, global drama, to develop a slate of original films and TV dramas. Fremantle’s international sales wing, Fmi, will handle distribution on all the small-screen projects.
Upcoming features produced under the Fabula-Fremantle deal, first inked in 2019, include Larrain’s Maria, a biopic of opera star Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, produced together with Fremantle and Komplizen Film; and Sebabstián Lelio’s feminist protest musical The Wave, made in partnership with Participant Media.
On the TV side, Fabula has produced the Spanish-language thriller...
Fabula’s filmography includes Larrain’s Oscar-winning A Fantastic Woman and the Oscar-nominated Jackie as well as Spencer and El Conde.
The agreement will see Fremantle and Fabula continue to work together with Fremantle’s CEO, global drama, Christian Vesper and Seb Shorr, COO, global drama, to develop a slate of original films and TV dramas. Fremantle’s international sales wing, Fmi, will handle distribution on all the small-screen projects.
Upcoming features produced under the Fabula-Fremantle deal, first inked in 2019, include Larrain’s Maria, a biopic of opera star Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, produced together with Fremantle and Komplizen Film; and Sebabstián Lelio’s feminist protest musical The Wave, made in partnership with Participant Media.
On the TV side, Fabula has produced the Spanish-language thriller...
- 4/16/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Fremantle has renewed its first-look partnership with Chilean production company Fabula in a deal that will see the companies develop a slate of original dramas and films. Fremantle’s international sales wing, Fmi, will distribute the drama projects worldwide.
Fabula and Fremantle have just wrapped production on Sebabstián Lelio’s film musical The Wave, in partnership with Participant Media, which tells the story of the mass protests and university rallies that took place during Chile’s so-called “feminist May” in 2018.
Later this year they will launch Pablo Larraín’s Maria starring Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas, produced alongside Fremantle and Germany’s Komplizen Film.
Fabula and Fremantle have just wrapped production on Sebabstián Lelio’s film musical The Wave, in partnership with Participant Media, which tells the story of the mass protests and university rallies that took place during Chile’s so-called “feminist May” in 2018.
Later this year they will launch Pablo Larraín’s Maria starring Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas, produced alongside Fremantle and Germany’s Komplizen Film.
- 4/16/2024
- ScreenDaily
The 2025 Oscars ceremony is months away, but we already know some things about the show, the potential nominees and who may host it.
Read on below for answers to your questions about the 2025 Academy Awards.
When Are The 2025 Oscars?
The Oscars will be handed out Sunday, March 2 — a week earlier than the March 10, 2024 show. The ceremony will start at 4 p.m. Pt/7 p.m. Et — a welcome time change that began with the 96th Academy Awards last March. The show had typically run from 5 p.m./8 p.m. (and often much later depending on speeches).
Who Is Hosting The 2025 Oscars?
The host usually isn’t announced until November or December, but given the show is on ABC through 2028 and given Jimmy Kimmel’s well-received efforts earlier this month, he may well be back again. If so, it will be his fifth time hosting, putting him in company with the great Johnny Carson.
Read on below for answers to your questions about the 2025 Academy Awards.
When Are The 2025 Oscars?
The Oscars will be handed out Sunday, March 2 — a week earlier than the March 10, 2024 show. The ceremony will start at 4 p.m. Pt/7 p.m. Et — a welcome time change that began with the 96th Academy Awards last March. The show had typically run from 5 p.m./8 p.m. (and often much later depending on speeches).
Who Is Hosting The 2025 Oscars?
The host usually isn’t announced until November or December, but given the show is on ABC through 2028 and given Jimmy Kimmel’s well-received efforts earlier this month, he may well be back again. If so, it will be his fifth time hosting, putting him in company with the great Johnny Carson.
- 4/10/2024
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Italian film and TV orgs will hold an emergency press conference in Rome next week to discuss the damage being done to their sectors by uncertainty over the future of direct funding and tax credits.
The meeting on April 5 in Rome’s Cinema Adriano will gather the members of 14 professional bodies including filmmakers’ org 100 Autori, producer groups Anica and Agici, Cartoon Italia and the actors’ association Unita.
“The first quarter of 2024 saw an abrupt halt in film and audiovisual production, due to uncertainty and the continued delay in the implementation of public support measures for the sector,” said the film and TV orgs in a statement announcing the conference.
Italy’s right-wing government has been making noises for months about its reform of the country’s Cinema Law, first mooted prior to its arrival in power in 2022.
The legislation covers direct film and TV funding, as well as the 40% tax...
The meeting on April 5 in Rome’s Cinema Adriano will gather the members of 14 professional bodies including filmmakers’ org 100 Autori, producer groups Anica and Agici, Cartoon Italia and the actors’ association Unita.
“The first quarter of 2024 saw an abrupt halt in film and audiovisual production, due to uncertainty and the continued delay in the implementation of public support measures for the sector,” said the film and TV orgs in a statement announcing the conference.
Italy’s right-wing government has been making noises for months about its reform of the country’s Cinema Law, first mooted prior to its arrival in power in 2022.
The legislation covers direct film and TV funding, as well as the 40% tax...
- 3/29/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
David Seidler, the London-born playwright and screenwriter best known for “The King’s Speech,” has died while on a fly-fishing vacation in New Zealand, as per a report in The Guardian. His spokesperson said he was in the location he most revered, doing the activity he most loved when he passed: “It is exactly as he would have scripted it.” The winner of the Academy Award and BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay for the Colin Firth-led film was 86 years old.
Seidler’s career began in Australian television in the late 1960s. He came to the United States in the early 1980s, working for the soap opera “Another World,” then writing television movies like “Malice in Wonderland,” something of an early version of the series “Feud” as it concerned Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons starring Jane Alexander and Elizabeth Taylor. He also wrote “Onassis: The Richest Man in the World” starring...
Seidler’s career began in Australian television in the late 1960s. He came to the United States in the early 1980s, working for the soap opera “Another World,” then writing television movies like “Malice in Wonderland,” something of an early version of the series “Feud” as it concerned Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons starring Jane Alexander and Elizabeth Taylor. He also wrote “Onassis: The Richest Man in the World” starring...
- 3/18/2024
- by Jordan Hoffman
- Gold Derby
My Stolen Planet by Farahnaz Sharifi won the €12,000 Golden Alexander prize of the international competition of the 26th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival (Tidf), which closed on March 17.
The intimate family portrait is a Germany-Iran co-production and made its world premiere in the Berlinale’s Panorama programme last month.
At Tidf, it also won the Fipresci award and a place in the pre-selection shortlist for the best documentary Osar. France’s Cat&Docs is handling international sales.
Lidia Duda’s Forest, won the €5,000 international competition special jury prize, the Silver Alexander. The Poland-Czech Republic co-production, also about a family, this...
The intimate family portrait is a Germany-Iran co-production and made its world premiere in the Berlinale’s Panorama programme last month.
At Tidf, it also won the Fipresci award and a place in the pre-selection shortlist for the best documentary Osar. France’s Cat&Docs is handling international sales.
Lidia Duda’s Forest, won the €5,000 international competition special jury prize, the Silver Alexander. The Poland-Czech Republic co-production, also about a family, this...
- 3/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
Roll up, roll up: It’s Cannes prognostication time.
With the 77th edition of the great cinema showcase less than three months away, the blurred outline of a lineup is beginning to emerge. At this stage, the process of elimination is as telling as the process of inclusion: hardly any films have been guaranteed a slot by the festival, but we’re starting to get some clarity on which projects are likely to be ready and which are leaning towards a different launch strategy.
There has been a longstanding expectation that George Miller will be back at the festival with Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux himself has said he “hopes” it’ll be there and while it isn’t locked yet, nothing we’re hearing so far indicates it won’t be at the festival. The film’s May 22 France release date and Miller’s long...
With the 77th edition of the great cinema showcase less than three months away, the blurred outline of a lineup is beginning to emerge. At this stage, the process of elimination is as telling as the process of inclusion: hardly any films have been guaranteed a slot by the festival, but we’re starting to get some clarity on which projects are likely to be ready and which are leaning towards a different launch strategy.
There has been a longstanding expectation that George Miller will be back at the festival with Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux himself has said he “hopes” it’ll be there and while it isn’t locked yet, nothing we’re hearing so far indicates it won’t be at the festival. The film’s May 22 France release date and Miller’s long...
- 2/29/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Tyne Daly was unexpectedly hospitalized on Friday and has withdrawn from her starring role in the Broadway revival of Doubt. She’ll be replaced by Amy Ryan.
The news was announced this afternoon by the Roundabout Theatre Company. No reason was given for Daly’s hospitalization, but the company said she is expected to make a full recovery.
“Ms. Daly was unexpectedly hospitalized on Friday and unfortunately needs to withdraw from the production while she receives medical care; she is thankfully expected to make a full recovery,” the announcement states.
“With respect and admiration for Tyne, we wish her the best and a quick recovery,” said director Scott Ellis. “We are grateful that Amy Ryan said yes – in a quick minute – to join our company and take on the role of ‘Sister Aloysius.’ We deeply appreciate Isabel Keating, who remarkably stepped in with a day of rehearsal and allowed us...
The news was announced this afternoon by the Roundabout Theatre Company. No reason was given for Daly’s hospitalization, but the company said she is expected to make a full recovery.
“Ms. Daly was unexpectedly hospitalized on Friday and unfortunately needs to withdraw from the production while she receives medical care; she is thankfully expected to make a full recovery,” the announcement states.
“With respect and admiration for Tyne, we wish her the best and a quick recovery,” said director Scott Ellis. “We are grateful that Amy Ryan said yes – in a quick minute – to join our company and take on the role of ‘Sister Aloysius.’ We deeply appreciate Isabel Keating, who remarkably stepped in with a day of rehearsal and allowed us...
- 2/6/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Anne Edwards, dubbed “The Queen of Biography” for her work on best-selling books about the actresses Vivien Leigh and Katharine Hepburn, as well as 14 other celebrity biographies, died on Jan. 20 in Beverly Hills, Calif. She was 96 and her daughter said she passed from lung cancer at a senior living facility.
In addition to her biographies, the prolific writ.er had eight novels, three children’s books, two memoirs and one autobiography.
A child performer on radio and the stage, Ms. Edwards sold her first screenplay in 1949, when she was 22.
Her first novel, the mystery The Survivors arrived in 1968; and her first biography, of Judy Garland, in 1975.
Her “Vivien Leigh: A Biography” (1977) spent 19 weeks on The New York Times’s hardcover best-seller list.
Edwards also wrote biographies of Maria Callas, Ronald Reagan, Barbra Streisand and Diana, Princess of Wales.
Her...
In addition to her biographies, the prolific writ.er had eight novels, three children’s books, two memoirs and one autobiography.
A child performer on radio and the stage, Ms. Edwards sold her first screenplay in 1949, when she was 22.
Her first novel, the mystery The Survivors arrived in 1968; and her first biography, of Judy Garland, in 1975.
Her “Vivien Leigh: A Biography” (1977) spent 19 weeks on The New York Times’s hardcover best-seller list.
Edwards also wrote biographies of Maria Callas, Ronald Reagan, Barbra Streisand and Diana, Princess of Wales.
Her...
- 2/1/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Majestic and stunning. Pierpaolo Piccioli staged a presentation for Valentino during this week’s Paris haute couture Spring Summer 2024 shows — attended by such names as house ambassador Florence Pugh, Jennifer Lopez and Kylie Jenner with daughter Stormi — that reiterates the importance, grandeur and amazement of the handmade, highlighted by the house’s seamstresses who precede the designer in the final greeting to the audience. Accepting the applause of those who are awed by their precious and indispensable work, Valentino’s seamstresses had smiles on their faces yet with the shyness and reserve of those who prefer to be in the atelier or, at most, backstage at the fashion show.
“It is a luxury in an industrialized world,” commented Piccioli, who promotes and defends the slow but profound work as a way to raise the bar on research, aesthetics and innovation. The new Valentino couture collection titled “Le Salon” is structured...
“It is a luxury in an industrialized world,” commented Piccioli, who promotes and defends the slow but profound work as a way to raise the bar on research, aesthetics and innovation. The new Valentino couture collection titled “Le Salon” is structured...
- 1/26/2024
- by Pino Gagliardi
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Fabula, the production company of internationally renowned brother filmmakers Pablo Larraín and Juan de Dios Larraín, has appointed Yira Vilaro as Vice President Of Film And Television, Deadline has learned.
Vilaro joins from Anonymous Content, where she worked as VP Film & TV for a year and a half. Previously, she held roles as a development executive at Amazon Studios, and as Director of Development at Macro, prior to that working at companies like Imagine Entertainment, Jerry Bruckheimer Films and WME, among others.
In her new role, Vilaro will focus on Fabula’s growing slate of English-language features and series. She reports to Andrew Hevia, Head of Fabula North America, and will work out of the company’s Los Angeles office. News of her hiring comes on the heels of an ASC Award nomination for Ed Lachman, cinematographer of Fabula’s El Conde, as well as the naming of the...
Vilaro joins from Anonymous Content, where she worked as VP Film & TV for a year and a half. Previously, she held roles as a development executive at Amazon Studios, and as Director of Development at Macro, prior to that working at companies like Imagine Entertainment, Jerry Bruckheimer Films and WME, among others.
In her new role, Vilaro will focus on Fabula’s growing slate of English-language features and series. She reports to Andrew Hevia, Head of Fabula North America, and will work out of the company’s Los Angeles office. News of her hiring comes on the heels of an ASC Award nomination for Ed Lachman, cinematographer of Fabula’s El Conde, as well as the naming of the...
- 1/20/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Angelina Jolie is spending the afternoon with a friend.
The 48-year-old Eternals actress carried what appeared to be a script as she left a friend’s apartment building on Friday (January 19) in Los Angeles.
Photos: Check out the latest pics of Angelina Jolie
For her outing, Angelina kept things comfy and chic in a gray sweater, black pants, and sunglasses.
Angelina has also been busy over the last few months, as the star was seen on multiple occasions filming her upcoming movie Maria, in which she stars as the real-life opera singer Maria Callas.
Angelina‘s brother James Haven opened up in a rare interview about “protecting” her and her six kids following her split from husband Brad Pitt.
Click through the gallery inside for more photos of Angelina Jolie stepping out in Los Angeles…...
The 48-year-old Eternals actress carried what appeared to be a script as she left a friend’s apartment building on Friday (January 19) in Los Angeles.
Photos: Check out the latest pics of Angelina Jolie
For her outing, Angelina kept things comfy and chic in a gray sweater, black pants, and sunglasses.
Angelina has also been busy over the last few months, as the star was seen on multiple occasions filming her upcoming movie Maria, in which she stars as the real-life opera singer Maria Callas.
Angelina‘s brother James Haven opened up in a rare interview about “protecting” her and her six kids following her split from husband Brad Pitt.
Click through the gallery inside for more photos of Angelina Jolie stepping out in Los Angeles…...
- 1/20/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Prominent Italian producers Mario Gianani and Lorenzo Mieli are exiting their Fremantle-owned companies — Wildside and The Apartment, respectively — in an industry shakeup expected to lead them to jointly form a new independent scripted content outfit.
Gianani and Mieli co-founded Wildside in 2009 and turned it into the powerhouse behind major global dramas such as Rai/HBO’s “The Young Pope” and “My Brilliant Friend,” to name a few. Wildside was aquired by Fremantle in 2015.
Mieli subsequently went his own way and set up The Apartment in 2020 under the Fremantle umbrella. Recent The Apartment titles include Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla” and Pablo Larrain’s upcoming Angelina-starrer “Maria” about iconic soprano Maria Callas, amid a rich international slate.
A Fremantle Italy spokesperson confirmed the ongoing exits of the two top producers, adding that the separations are not acrimonious and that Fremantle is discussing “the ways in which we will will continue to work together.
Gianani and Mieli co-founded Wildside in 2009 and turned it into the powerhouse behind major global dramas such as Rai/HBO’s “The Young Pope” and “My Brilliant Friend,” to name a few. Wildside was aquired by Fremantle in 2015.
Mieli subsequently went his own way and set up The Apartment in 2020 under the Fremantle umbrella. Recent The Apartment titles include Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla” and Pablo Larrain’s upcoming Angelina-starrer “Maria” about iconic soprano Maria Callas, amid a rich international slate.
A Fremantle Italy spokesperson confirmed the ongoing exits of the two top producers, adding that the separations are not acrimonious and that Fremantle is discussing “the ways in which we will will continue to work together.
- 1/19/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
With the New Year upon us, it’s time for our annual tradition of looking at the cinematic horizon. Having highlighted 30 films we guarantee are worth seeing this year and those we hope get U.S. distribution, we now venture into the unknown. We dug deep to chart the 100 films we’re most looking forward to, from debuts to documentaries to the return of some of our most-beloved auteurs, along with a small batch of studio films worth giving attention.
Though the majority lack a set release––let alone a confirmed festival premiere––most have wrapped production and will likely debut at some point in 2024. Be sure to check back for updates over the next twelve months (and beyond).
100. Civil War (Alex Garland; April 26)
A storm brewed across social media with the trailer for Alex Garland’s Civil War. Garland, who last invigorated and disgusted audiences with Men, still boasts...
Though the majority lack a set release––let alone a confirmed festival premiere––most have wrapped production and will likely debut at some point in 2024. Be sure to check back for updates over the next twelve months (and beyond).
100. Civil War (Alex Garland; April 26)
A storm brewed across social media with the trailer for Alex Garland’s Civil War. Garland, who last invigorated and disgusted audiences with Men, still boasts...
- 1/8/2024
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Angelina Jolie and her daughter Zahara Marley Jolie are doing some shopping together!
On Friday (January 5), the 48-year-old actress and her 18-year-old daughter were spotted at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Angelina donned a stunning black pantsuit and black sunglasses while Zahara wore a white t-shirt and blue jeans.
If you didn’t know, Zahara is currently a sophomore at Spelman College in Atlanta, Ga. She recently joined the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
Angelina has also been busy over the last few months, as the star was seen on multiple occasions filming her upcoming movie Maria, in which she stars as the real-life opera singer Maria Callas.
If you missed the news, Angelina Jolie will reprise one of her most iconic roles!
Browse through the gallery for more photos of Angelina Jolie and Zahara Marley Jolie shopping in Beverly Hills…...
On Friday (January 5), the 48-year-old actress and her 18-year-old daughter were spotted at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Angelina donned a stunning black pantsuit and black sunglasses while Zahara wore a white t-shirt and blue jeans.
If you didn’t know, Zahara is currently a sophomore at Spelman College in Atlanta, Ga. She recently joined the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
Angelina has also been busy over the last few months, as the star was seen on multiple occasions filming her upcoming movie Maria, in which she stars as the real-life opera singer Maria Callas.
If you missed the news, Angelina Jolie will reprise one of her most iconic roles!
Browse through the gallery for more photos of Angelina Jolie and Zahara Marley Jolie shopping in Beverly Hills…...
- 1/6/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Angelina Jolie told the Wall Street Journal Magazine that she probably would not become an actor if she was just starting out in the industry in 2023. She’d consider acting on the stage, perhaps, but certainly not a life and career in Hollywood.
“I wouldn’t be an actress today,” the Oscar-winner said. “When I was starting out, it wasn’t as much of an expectation to be as public, to share so much.”
Being under intense public scrutiny for well over two decades has seemingly taken its toll on Jolie, who found herself even more of a tabloid target after she divorced Brad Pitt seven years ago. The stress got so bad that she noticed in 2018, during the filming of her Disney sequel “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” that her voice had changed registers from when she first played the fairy tale villain.
“My body reacts very strongly to stress,...
“I wouldn’t be an actress today,” the Oscar-winner said. “When I was starting out, it wasn’t as much of an expectation to be as public, to share so much.”
Being under intense public scrutiny for well over two decades has seemingly taken its toll on Jolie, who found herself even more of a tabloid target after she divorced Brad Pitt seven years ago. The stress got so bad that she noticed in 2018, during the filming of her Disney sequel “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” that her voice had changed registers from when she first played the fairy tale villain.
“My body reacts very strongly to stress,...
- 12/5/2023
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Teatro Grattacielo, renowned for its commitment to presenting operatic treasures, is set to bring Gaspare Spontini’s La Vestale. This production is taking place on December 8-10, 2023, at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall, marking a significant milestone as part of the centenary celebrations honoring Greek-American soprano Maria Callas.
Under the baton of conductor Philip Forget and the artistic direction of Stefanos Koroneos, Teatro Grattacielo promises a new experience, blending timeless music with cutting-edge visual art. Video art by Lydia Venieri and neon flex art by Emorfili Tsimplidou will complement the grandeur of La Vestale, adding a modern and immersive dimension to the production.
The pivotal role of Licinio will be sung by the acclaimed tenors Marcello Alvarez and Jose Bros. The role of Giulia will be portrayed by the enchanting sopranos Alexia Voulgaridou and Indra Thomas
“We are thrilled to present Spontini’s La Vestale in collaboration with Thessaloniki Concert Hall...
Under the baton of conductor Philip Forget and the artistic direction of Stefanos Koroneos, Teatro Grattacielo promises a new experience, blending timeless music with cutting-edge visual art. Video art by Lydia Venieri and neon flex art by Emorfili Tsimplidou will complement the grandeur of La Vestale, adding a modern and immersive dimension to the production.
The pivotal role of Licinio will be sung by the acclaimed tenors Marcello Alvarez and Jose Bros. The role of Giulia will be portrayed by the enchanting sopranos Alexia Voulgaridou and Indra Thomas
“We are thrilled to present Spontini’s La Vestale in collaboration with Thessaloniki Concert Hall...
- 11/22/2023
- by Music Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Music
Two-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Ed Lachman looked shattered by the time he sat down with us for an interview here at EnergaCamerimage in Torun, Poland.
“I broke my hip, and it didn’t heal correctly. Now I’ve got an operation,” Lachman said of his physical state.
“But he called me again to do this film,” Lachman continued, referring to Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín, whom he has briefly left on set in Budapest where they are shooting a Steven Knight-scripted Maria Callas biopic starring Angelina Jolie.
“I said yeah, sure, I’ll do it. And before that, I had lead poisoning, so it’ll just go on and on.”
He added: “It’s amazing what you can get by with if you try.”
Lachman’s injury occurred last year after he finished shooting Larraín’s black-and-white Augusto Pinochet satire El Conde, which he is promoting here at Camerimage. The inventive feature,...
“I broke my hip, and it didn’t heal correctly. Now I’ve got an operation,” Lachman said of his physical state.
“But he called me again to do this film,” Lachman continued, referring to Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín, whom he has briefly left on set in Budapest where they are shooting a Steven Knight-scripted Maria Callas biopic starring Angelina Jolie.
“I said yeah, sure, I’ll do it. And before that, I had lead poisoning, so it’ll just go on and on.”
He added: “It’s amazing what you can get by with if you try.”
Lachman’s injury occurred last year after he finished shooting Larraín’s black-and-white Augusto Pinochet satire El Conde, which he is promoting here at Camerimage. The inventive feature,...
- 11/13/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
There were sunny skies over the Thessaloniki Film Festival this week, with unseasonably high temperatures leading many visitors to reach for the sunscreen while dashing between movie premieres and industry events at Greece’s longest-running film fest.
The local industry, too, is enjoying a moment in the sun, as the Mediterranean nation has seen production surge post-pandemic, buoyed by foreign titles like Rian Johnson’s Netflix blockbuster “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” action thriller “Tin Soldier,” starring Jamie Foxx and Robert De Niro, and the Jason Statham and Sylvester Stallone starring “Expend4bles,” the latest installment of the action franchise, which filmed in Thessaloniki.
Last year, production in Greece reached record heights, with 132 projects supported by the country’s cashback scheme, which covers up to 40% of qualifying expenditures and can be combined with a separate 30% tax relief scheme. This year, Pablo Larrain’s Maria Callas biopic “Maria,” starring Angelina Jolie,...
The local industry, too, is enjoying a moment in the sun, as the Mediterranean nation has seen production surge post-pandemic, buoyed by foreign titles like Rian Johnson’s Netflix blockbuster “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” action thriller “Tin Soldier,” starring Jamie Foxx and Robert De Niro, and the Jason Statham and Sylvester Stallone starring “Expend4bles,” the latest installment of the action franchise, which filmed in Thessaloniki.
Last year, production in Greece reached record heights, with 132 projects supported by the country’s cashback scheme, which covers up to 40% of qualifying expenditures and can be combined with a separate 30% tax relief scheme. This year, Pablo Larrain’s Maria Callas biopic “Maria,” starring Angelina Jolie,...
- 11/11/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Palme d’Or winner ‘Anatomy Of A Fall’ opens in 160 cinemas.
Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels heads the new films in UK-Ireland cinemas this weekend, looking to boost the fortunes of the long-running superhero franchise.
The Marvels opens in 665 cinemas through Disney. This is slightly fewer than recent Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) titles Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 (708), Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania (680) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (704); the last MCU film to open on fewer screens was Chloe Zhao’s Eternals in 2021 (646).
Running for 15 years and counting, the MCU is still the highest-grossing film franchise both in UK-Ireland and worldwide.
Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels heads the new films in UK-Ireland cinemas this weekend, looking to boost the fortunes of the long-running superhero franchise.
The Marvels opens in 665 cinemas through Disney. This is slightly fewer than recent Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) titles Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 (708), Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania (680) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (704); the last MCU film to open on fewer screens was Chloe Zhao’s Eternals in 2021 (646).
Running for 15 years and counting, the MCU is still the highest-grossing film franchise both in UK-Ireland and worldwide.
- 11/10/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
As the start of the Camerimage Film Festival approaches, Variety asked four festival regulars, all sought-after cinematographers, to weigh in on the issues, trends and opportunities the profession is encountering this year – all subjects expected to come up during the fest, which runs Nov. 11-18. Here’s what they had to say:
Mandy Walker, currently filming Disney’s live action “Snow White” remake, and chairing Camerimage main competition jury.
“I see more and more women are shooting [film] projects and TV – in the States, a lot more women are shooting TV shows. A lot more in the camera department in general, camera operators, first ACs, and it’s definitely getting better. But there’s still a bit of a hump to get over before it’s anywhere near equal.”
“The technology – for me, when I first started shooting movies, there was no VFX, there was no blue screen because I was shooting very small indie projects.
Mandy Walker, currently filming Disney’s live action “Snow White” remake, and chairing Camerimage main competition jury.
“I see more and more women are shooting [film] projects and TV – in the States, a lot more women are shooting TV shows. A lot more in the camera department in general, camera operators, first ACs, and it’s definitely getting better. But there’s still a bit of a hump to get over before it’s anywhere near equal.”
“The technology – for me, when I first started shooting movies, there was no VFX, there was no blue screen because I was shooting very small indie projects.
- 11/7/2023
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
Marina Cicogna, Italy’s first major female film producer who shepherded films by Pier Paolo Pasolini, Franco Zeffirelli and Elio Petri, including Petri’s Oscar-winning “Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion,” has died. She was 89.
Cicogna died on Nov. 4 in her Rome home after a long battle with an unspecified form of cancer, according to Italian news agency Ansa.
The Venice Biennale foundation is a statement, praised her as “the first female film producer in Europe” and noted that she was always deeply linked to the Venice Film Festival that was founded by her grandfather, Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata.
Born in Rome on May 29, 1934, to Count Cesare Cicogna Mozzoni and Countess Annamaria Volpi di Misurata, Cicogna attended high school in Italy and graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in New York, where she struck up a friendship with Jack Warner’s daughter Barbara Warner and established a connection with Hollywood.
In...
Cicogna died on Nov. 4 in her Rome home after a long battle with an unspecified form of cancer, according to Italian news agency Ansa.
The Venice Biennale foundation is a statement, praised her as “the first female film producer in Europe” and noted that she was always deeply linked to the Venice Film Festival that was founded by her grandfather, Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata.
Born in Rome on May 29, 1934, to Count Cesare Cicogna Mozzoni and Countess Annamaria Volpi di Misurata, Cicogna attended high school in Italy and graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in New York, where she struck up a friendship with Jack Warner’s daughter Barbara Warner and established a connection with Hollywood.
In...
- 11/6/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
When it comes to the post-summer box office blues, Taylor Swift: Eras Tour has helped shake it off. The film’s phenomenal success — it’s already the top-grossing concert film of all time in North America, not adjusted for inflation — as well as its unique rollout, in which Swift teamed up directly teaming directly with AMC Theaters, bypassing traditional studio distribution, is a bright light in an independent movie market sorely in need of some good news.
Sadly, there is only one Taylor Swift. The rest of the independent film world, representatives of which will be gathering in Santa Monica for the American Film Market Oct. 31-Nov. 5, sees few reasons to dance in the aisles.
The market’s new location, at the Le Méridien Delfina on Pico, exchanges the seaside views and beach vibe of the Loews Hotels, AFM’s home for the past 30 years, for the more elusive charms...
Sadly, there is only one Taylor Swift. The rest of the independent film world, representatives of which will be gathering in Santa Monica for the American Film Market Oct. 31-Nov. 5, sees few reasons to dance in the aisles.
The market’s new location, at the Le Méridien Delfina on Pico, exchanges the seaside views and beach vibe of the Loews Hotels, AFM’s home for the past 30 years, for the more elusive charms...
- 10/31/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper has been transplanted to America in ViX Original Series “El Dentista” (“The Dentist”) (working title) with Oscar-nominated Demián Bichir (“A Better Life”) in the titular role. Behind-the-scenes pics of the series, now shooting in Mexico, have been exclusively shared with Variety.
Based on the novel by prominent Chilean scribe Julio Rojas, creator of podcast sensation “Caso 63” and a co-writer on Pablo Fendrik’s “El Refugio,” the period thriller series is produced by Oscar-winning brothers Pablo and Juan de Dios Larrain and their powerhouse shingle, Fabula, along with the top Spanish pay TV/SVOD service Movistar Plus+, which will also handle international sales.
This is possibly the second time that Fabula handling a mythical figure after Pablo Larrain’s horror satire “The Count,” which world premiered at the Venice Film Festival and is now streaming on Netflix. However, in “The Count,” Larrain reimagines...
Based on the novel by prominent Chilean scribe Julio Rojas, creator of podcast sensation “Caso 63” and a co-writer on Pablo Fendrik’s “El Refugio,” the period thriller series is produced by Oscar-winning brothers Pablo and Juan de Dios Larrain and their powerhouse shingle, Fabula, along with the top Spanish pay TV/SVOD service Movistar Plus+, which will also handle international sales.
This is possibly the second time that Fabula handling a mythical figure after Pablo Larrain’s horror satire “The Count,” which world premiered at the Venice Film Festival and is now streaming on Netflix. However, in “The Count,” Larrain reimagines...
- 10/26/2023
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
The world of cinema has recently witnessed the union of two of its most illustrious figures, Tim Burton and Monica Bellucci, as they made their relationship red carpet official. Their debut as a couple took place at the ‘Diabolik Chi Sei?’ premiere during the 18th Rome Film Festival, held at Auditorium Parco Della Musica in Rome. This marks a significant moment in their personal and professional lives, intertwining the magic of their cinematic worlds.
Related: Tim Burton Movies List: Ranked Best to Worst
Tim Burton, the 65-year-old iconic director known for his dark, gothic, and quirky films, appeared in a jet-black suit, shirt, tie, and shoes, maintaining his signature style. On his side was Monica Bellucci, the 59-year-old Italian actress and former Bond girl, stunning in a floor-length, off-the-shoulder gown in dark gray. Her sleek blowout and smoky eyes complemented the elegance of her attire. The couple posed affectionately, with...
Related: Tim Burton Movies List: Ranked Best to Worst
Tim Burton, the 65-year-old iconic director known for his dark, gothic, and quirky films, appeared in a jet-black suit, shirt, tie, and shoes, maintaining his signature style. On his side was Monica Bellucci, the 59-year-old Italian actress and former Bond girl, stunning in a floor-length, off-the-shoulder gown in dark gray. Her sleek blowout and smoky eyes complemented the elegance of her attire. The couple posed affectionately, with...
- 10/21/2023
- by Buddy TV
- buddytv.com
Angelina Jolie has two of her kids by her side on the set of her upcoming movie Maria!
The Oscar-winning actress was joined by her sons Maddox, 22, and Pax, 19, while heading to work on another day of filming on Sunday (October 15) in Peloponnese, Greece.
Angelina was first seen on set last week, almost exactly one year after the project was first announced. She is starring in the upcoming film about the late opera singer Maria Callas, which is director Pablo Larrain‘s third biopic about a prominent female figure. He previously directed Natalie Portman in Jackie and Kristen Stewart in Spencer.
Pax previously worked as a still photographer for Angelina‘s 2017 movie First They Killed My Father and he also worked in the assistance director department for her upcoming movie Without Blood.
Maddox was a producer on First They Killed My Father and a trainee on her 2015 movie By the Sea.
The Oscar-winning actress was joined by her sons Maddox, 22, and Pax, 19, while heading to work on another day of filming on Sunday (October 15) in Peloponnese, Greece.
Angelina was first seen on set last week, almost exactly one year after the project was first announced. She is starring in the upcoming film about the late opera singer Maria Callas, which is director Pablo Larrain‘s third biopic about a prominent female figure. He previously directed Natalie Portman in Jackie and Kristen Stewart in Spencer.
Pax previously worked as a still photographer for Angelina‘s 2017 movie First They Killed My Father and he also worked in the assistance director department for her upcoming movie Without Blood.
Maddox was a producer on First They Killed My Father and a trainee on her 2015 movie By the Sea.
- 10/17/2023
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Angelina Jolie is putting in another day of work on her new biopic Maria!
The 48-year-old is currently filming on location in Paris, France. She was spotted on Friday (October 13) outside Place Vendome.
In the film, she will be bringing famed opera singer Maria Callas to life, and she was dressed to channel the iconic musician.
Keep reading to find out more…
Wearing thick glasses, Angelina was filmed exiting an old-school car. She clutched a purse in her hand and wore a pearl necklace. The actress competed her look with a long black trench coat, which was worn open and unbelted.
If you were unaware, Angelina joined the cast of the movie in October 2022. Filming started almost an entire year later, and the actress was joined by co-star Kodi Smit-McPhee.
Fans will love to see that Angelina appears to be working with one of her children on set!
Scroll through...
The 48-year-old is currently filming on location in Paris, France. She was spotted on Friday (October 13) outside Place Vendome.
In the film, she will be bringing famed opera singer Maria Callas to life, and she was dressed to channel the iconic musician.
Keep reading to find out more…
Wearing thick glasses, Angelina was filmed exiting an old-school car. She clutched a purse in her hand and wore a pearl necklace. The actress competed her look with a long black trench coat, which was worn open and unbelted.
If you were unaware, Angelina joined the cast of the movie in October 2022. Filming started almost an entire year later, and the actress was joined by co-star Kodi Smit-McPhee.
Fans will love to see that Angelina appears to be working with one of her children on set!
Scroll through...
- 10/13/2023
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Angelina Jolie is going for a dog walk on the set of her upcoming biopic film, Maria!
The 48-year-old actress spent some time shooting on the famous Avenue des Champs-Élysées on Thursday (October 12) in Paris, where she was spotted walking a pair of fluffy poodles on set.
Angelina will star in the film’s titular role – renowned opera singer Maria Callas.
The star’s on-set attire was strikingly fashionable, as Angelina donned round-frame sunglasses and heavy knit outerwear typical of the film’s 1970s Parisian setting.
Maria will be directed directed by Pablo Larraín and currently does not have a release date.
Angelina‘s 19-year-old son Pax appears to be with his mom as she films, and new photos show them on set together!
Browse through the gallery for 70+ photos of Angelina Jolie walking dogs on the set of Maria…...
The 48-year-old actress spent some time shooting on the famous Avenue des Champs-Élysées on Thursday (October 12) in Paris, where she was spotted walking a pair of fluffy poodles on set.
Angelina will star in the film’s titular role – renowned opera singer Maria Callas.
The star’s on-set attire was strikingly fashionable, as Angelina donned round-frame sunglasses and heavy knit outerwear typical of the film’s 1970s Parisian setting.
Maria will be directed directed by Pablo Larraín and currently does not have a release date.
Angelina‘s 19-year-old son Pax appears to be with his mom as she films, and new photos show them on set together!
Browse through the gallery for 70+ photos of Angelina Jolie walking dogs on the set of Maria…...
- 10/12/2023
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Angelina Jolie is hard at work on her upcoming movie Maria and her son Pax appears to be working on the project as well!
The mother-son duo were seen filming a scene together on the Pont Alexandre III bridge on Wednesday (October 11) in Paris, France.
Pax, 19, previously worked as a still photographer for Angelina‘s 2017 movie First They Killed My Father and he also worked in the assistance director department for her upcoming movie Without Blood.
Angelina is starring in the upcoming film about the late opera singer Maria Callas, which is director Pablo Larrain‘s third biopic about a prominent female figure. He previously directed Natalie Portman in Jackie and Kristen Stewart in Spencer.
We have lots more photos of Angelina on the set of the movie earlier in the day on Wednesday!
“I take very seriously the responsibility to Maria’s life and legacy. I will give all...
The mother-son duo were seen filming a scene together on the Pont Alexandre III bridge on Wednesday (October 11) in Paris, France.
Pax, 19, previously worked as a still photographer for Angelina‘s 2017 movie First They Killed My Father and he also worked in the assistance director department for her upcoming movie Without Blood.
Angelina is starring in the upcoming film about the late opera singer Maria Callas, which is director Pablo Larrain‘s third biopic about a prominent female figure. He previously directed Natalie Portman in Jackie and Kristen Stewart in Spencer.
We have lots more photos of Angelina on the set of the movie earlier in the day on Wednesday!
“I take very seriously the responsibility to Maria’s life and legacy. I will give all...
- 10/11/2023
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Angelina Jolie has been spotted on the set of her upcoming Maria!
The 48-year-old Oscar-winning actress was seen in character as the late opera singer Maria Callas on Wednesday (October 11) in Paris, France.
Angelina was joined by co-star Kodi Smit-McPhee while filming a scene at the Palais-Royal. Later in the day, she wore another costume while shooting a difference scene.
It was announced back in October 2022 that Angelina would be starring in director Pablo Larrain‘s new biopic, which is said to trace the opera singer’s life through her death in 1977.
“I take very seriously the responsibility to Maria’s life and legacy. I will give all I can to meet the challenge,” Angelina said about the opportunity. “Pablo Larraín is a director I have long admired. To be allowed the chance to tell more of Maria’s story with him, and with a script by Steven Knight, is a dream.
The 48-year-old Oscar-winning actress was seen in character as the late opera singer Maria Callas on Wednesday (October 11) in Paris, France.
Angelina was joined by co-star Kodi Smit-McPhee while filming a scene at the Palais-Royal. Later in the day, she wore another costume while shooting a difference scene.
It was announced back in October 2022 that Angelina would be starring in director Pablo Larrain‘s new biopic, which is said to trace the opera singer’s life through her death in 1977.
“I take very seriously the responsibility to Maria’s life and legacy. I will give all I can to meet the challenge,” Angelina said about the opportunity. “Pablo Larraín is a director I have long admired. To be allowed the chance to tell more of Maria’s story with him, and with a script by Steven Knight, is a dream.
- 10/11/2023
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Teatro Grattacielo continues its 2022-23 Season with the grandeur of Spontini’s La Vestale starring Indra Thomas as Giulia, Thomas Kinch as Licinio and Tahanee Aluwihare as La Gran Vestale on October 28, 2023 at 6:30 pm at the Gerald Lynch Theater at John Jay College. This rare and captivating opera, paired with mesmerizing visual arts, promises an unforgettable evening that honors Maria Callas’ legacy and showcases the power of artistic collaboration. To purchase tickets, visit grattacielo.org/buy-tickets.
LA Vestale holds a special place in the history of opera, as it was the opera that Maria Callas performed on Teatro Alla Scala’s opening night in 1954. To honor her legacy and contributions to the world of music, we are bringing back the historic 1954 version of this opera, directed by the celebrated Italian film director, Luchino Visconti. And in the spirit of pushing boundaries to creating a unique artistic experience, Teatro Grattacielo...
LA Vestale holds a special place in the history of opera, as it was the opera that Maria Callas performed on Teatro Alla Scala’s opening night in 1954. To honor her legacy and contributions to the world of music, we are bringing back the historic 1954 version of this opera, directed by the celebrated Italian film director, Luchino Visconti. And in the spirit of pushing boundaries to creating a unique artistic experience, Teatro Grattacielo...
- 10/10/2023
- by Music Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Music
The first photos have been unveiled of actress Angelina Jolie in the role of Greek opera singer Maria Callas in “Maria.” The independent film began production in October under a SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreement. Will this biopic, directed by Pablo Larrain, bring Jolie back to the Oscars? See one photo of Jolie above and the other below.
Larrain said in a statement, “I am incredibly excited to start production on ‘Maria,’ which I hope will bring Maria Callas’s remarkable life and work to audiences all around the world, thanks to the magnificent script by Steve Knight, the work of the entire cast and crew, and especially, Angelina’s brilliant work and extraordinary preparation.”
SEEAngelina Jolie movies: 15 greatest films ranked from worst to best
Jolie won a competitive Oscar for her breakthrough supporting performance in “Girl, Interrupted” (1999). After that she earned her lone Best Actress bid for “Changeling” (2008). But then...
Larrain said in a statement, “I am incredibly excited to start production on ‘Maria,’ which I hope will bring Maria Callas’s remarkable life and work to audiences all around the world, thanks to the magnificent script by Steve Knight, the work of the entire cast and crew, and especially, Angelina’s brilliant work and extraordinary preparation.”
SEEAngelina Jolie movies: 15 greatest films ranked from worst to best
Jolie won a competitive Oscar for her breakthrough supporting performance in “Girl, Interrupted” (1999). After that she earned her lone Best Actress bid for “Changeling” (2008). But then...
- 10/9/2023
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Following on from his :a[recent vampiric portrait of an aged Augusto Pinochet]{href='https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/el-conde/' }, director Pablo Larraín’s back on the biopic beat for his next film. And it promises to be another compelling portrait of someone who is famous but also mysterious in her personal life. In this case, it's legendary Opera singer Maria Callas, with Angelina Jolie taking the role for Maria. The first pictures of the actor in character have arrived as the shoot prepares to kick off.
"How can it shoot doing the strike?" we hear you asking. Easy to answer: the independent film has an interim agreement for SAG-AFTRA allowing production to gear up. Larraín will be shooting across over eight weeks in Paris, Greece, Budapest and Milan.
Here's the official description of the film, which looks to "explore the life of the legendary, iconic and controversial singer, often described as the original diva.
"How can it shoot doing the strike?" we hear you asking. Easy to answer: the independent film has an interim agreement for SAG-AFTRA allowing production to gear up. Larraín will be shooting across over eight weeks in Paris, Greece, Budapest and Milan.
Here's the official description of the film, which looks to "explore the life of the legendary, iconic and controversial singer, often described as the original diva.
- 10/9/2023
- by James White
- Empire - Movies
Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín is in the sweetest of positions. He doesn’t really do one for them or one for him since all his films are artful and uncompromising, but he does have this kind of track going where he does dramas with American stars—most of them non-traditional biopics and then goes off and makes less commercial work that is more personal and without major stars.
Continue reading First Look: Angelina Jolie As The “Original Diva” In Pablo Larraín’s Maria Callas Drama ‘Maria’ at The Playlist.
Continue reading First Look: Angelina Jolie As The “Original Diva” In Pablo Larraín’s Maria Callas Drama ‘Maria’ at The Playlist.
- 10/9/2023
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
Angelina Jolie is taking on an operatic new role: playing Greek opera singer Maria Callas.
Jolie leads Pablo Larraín’s biopic “Maria,” set during the last days of the chanteuse’s life. She died in 1977.
“Maria” marks Larraín’s third biopic on the heels of “Jackie” and “Spencer,” which earned actress Kristen Stewart her first Oscar nomination.
Per the official synopsis, the film explores the life of the legendary, iconic and controversial singer, often described as the original diva. Based on true accounts, “Maria” tells the tumultuous, beautiful, and tragic story of the life of the world’s greatest opera singer, relived and re-imagined during her final days in 1970s Paris.
“The Power of the Dog” star Kodi Smit-McPhee, Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher, Haluk Bilginer, and Valeria Golino co-star alongside Jolie. The film is an independent production with an interim agreement from SAG-AFTRA; production starts this week, with locations ranging...
Jolie leads Pablo Larraín’s biopic “Maria,” set during the last days of the chanteuse’s life. She died in 1977.
“Maria” marks Larraín’s third biopic on the heels of “Jackie” and “Spencer,” which earned actress Kristen Stewart her first Oscar nomination.
Per the official synopsis, the film explores the life of the legendary, iconic and controversial singer, often described as the original diva. Based on true accounts, “Maria” tells the tumultuous, beautiful, and tragic story of the life of the world’s greatest opera singer, relived and re-imagined during her final days in 1970s Paris.
“The Power of the Dog” star Kodi Smit-McPhee, Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher, Haluk Bilginer, and Valeria Golino co-star alongside Jolie. The film is an independent production with an interim agreement from SAG-AFTRA; production starts this week, with locations ranging...
- 10/9/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Pablo Larraín (Jackie) has revealed two first photos of Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas in his new film that will explore the life of the legendary singer, often described as the original diva.
Based on true accounts, Maria will tell the tumultuous, beautiful and tragic story of the life of the world’s greatest female opera singer, relived and reimagined during her final days in 1970s Paris. Shoot is underway and taking place over eight weeks in Paris, Greece, Budapest and Milan.
Also starring in the movie, which has a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement, will be Pierfrancesco Favino (The Hummingbird), Alba Rohrwacher (La Chimera), Haluk Bilginer (Winter Sleep), Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog) and Valeria Golino (Portrait of a Lady on Fire).
The script, which was completed prior to the WGA strike, comes from Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders). Producers are Juan de Dios Larraín for Fabula, Jonas Dornbach...
Based on true accounts, Maria will tell the tumultuous, beautiful and tragic story of the life of the world’s greatest female opera singer, relived and reimagined during her final days in 1970s Paris. Shoot is underway and taking place over eight weeks in Paris, Greece, Budapest and Milan.
Also starring in the movie, which has a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement, will be Pierfrancesco Favino (The Hummingbird), Alba Rohrwacher (La Chimera), Haluk Bilginer (Winter Sleep), Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog) and Valeria Golino (Portrait of a Lady on Fire).
The script, which was completed prior to the WGA strike, comes from Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders). Producers are Juan de Dios Larraín for Fabula, Jonas Dornbach...
- 10/9/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
The first two images of Angelina Jolie as famed diva Maria Callas in Pablo Larrain’s upcoming biopic Maria have been revealed.
Based on true accounts, the film will tell the tumultuous, beautiful and tragic story of the life of the world’s greatest opera singers, relived and re-imagined during her final days in 1970s Paris. With the independent production having signed to a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement, the shoot is now set to start, and will take place over eight weeks in Paris, Greece, Budapest and Milan.
Alongside Jolie, the cast also includes Pierfrancesco Favino (Adagio, The Hummingbird), Alba Rohrwacher (La Chimera, Hungry Hearts), Haluk Bilginer (Winter Sleep), Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog, Elvis) and Valeria Golino (Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Caos Calmo).
The script, which was completed prior to the WGA strike, is written by Steven Knight (Spencer, Peaky Blinders, Eastern Promises). Producers...
Based on true accounts, the film will tell the tumultuous, beautiful and tragic story of the life of the world’s greatest opera singers, relived and re-imagined during her final days in 1970s Paris. With the independent production having signed to a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement, the shoot is now set to start, and will take place over eight weeks in Paris, Greece, Budapest and Milan.
Alongside Jolie, the cast also includes Pierfrancesco Favino (Adagio, The Hummingbird), Alba Rohrwacher (La Chimera, Hungry Hearts), Haluk Bilginer (Winter Sleep), Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog, Elvis) and Valeria Golino (Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Caos Calmo).
The script, which was completed prior to the WGA strike, is written by Steven Knight (Spencer, Peaky Blinders, Eastern Promises). Producers...
- 10/9/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cameras are set to roll in mid-October in Budapest on Pablo Larraín’s Maria Callas biopic “Maria” toplining Angelina Jolie in the title role with several new cast members now on board.
Italian star Valeria Golino, whose recent appearances include a lead in Netflix’s Elena Ferrante series “The Lying Life of Adults” and season 2 of Apple Original “The Morning Show,” is set to play the legendary opera singer’s older sister Yakinthi – known as Jackie – while revered Turkish screen and stage veteran Haluk Bilginer (“Winter Sleep”) has landed the role as Greek tycoon Aristotle Onassis.
Fremantle, which is among companies producing “Maria,” also confirmed on Thursday that the film’s additional cast comprises Italian A-listers Alba Rohrwacher and Pierfrancesco Favino and Oscar-nominated Australian actor Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”), all in unspecified roles.
“Maria” “tells the tumultuous, beautiful, and tragic story of the life of the world’s greatest opera singer,...
Italian star Valeria Golino, whose recent appearances include a lead in Netflix’s Elena Ferrante series “The Lying Life of Adults” and season 2 of Apple Original “The Morning Show,” is set to play the legendary opera singer’s older sister Yakinthi – known as Jackie – while revered Turkish screen and stage veteran Haluk Bilginer (“Winter Sleep”) has landed the role as Greek tycoon Aristotle Onassis.
Fremantle, which is among companies producing “Maria,” also confirmed on Thursday that the film’s additional cast comprises Italian A-listers Alba Rohrwacher and Pierfrancesco Favino and Oscar-nominated Australian actor Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”), all in unspecified roles.
“Maria” “tells the tumultuous, beautiful, and tragic story of the life of the world’s greatest opera singer,...
- 10/5/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
German regional fund Medenboard Berlin-Brandenburg (Mbb) has made its latest funding decisions.
Films directed by Wes Anderson, Agnieszka Holland, Emily Atef, Pablo Larrain and Karim Ainouz are among 14 projects to receive more than €5.2m in total production support from the German regional fund Medenboard Berlin-Brandenburg (Mbb) in its latest funding decision.
The largest single amount of €1.5m went to an as-yet untitled project by Wes Anderson which will see the US director continuing his long-standing collaboration with Studio Babelsberg with whom he has partnered on five previous films including The Grand Budapest Hotel, The French Dispatch, and Asteroid City.
The...
Films directed by Wes Anderson, Agnieszka Holland, Emily Atef, Pablo Larrain and Karim Ainouz are among 14 projects to receive more than €5.2m in total production support from the German regional fund Medenboard Berlin-Brandenburg (Mbb) in its latest funding decision.
The largest single amount of €1.5m went to an as-yet untitled project by Wes Anderson which will see the US director continuing his long-standing collaboration with Studio Babelsberg with whom he has partnered on five previous films including The Grand Budapest Hotel, The French Dispatch, and Asteroid City.
The...
- 9/29/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Cinematographer Ed Lachman doesn’t often work with new directors, but for someone he considers “the most important filmmaker in South America,” he’ll make an exception. El Conde marks the first collaboration between Lachman and Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín, but Lachman had followed his career dating back to his Pinochet trilogy: Tony Manero (2008), Post Mortem (2010) and No (2012). Lachman clocked similarities to Larraín and a frequent collaborator of his: “Pablo always finds the subtext in the story through the language of how he tells the story through images. That’s something I’ve done with Todd Haynes. Those are the directors I’m drawn to, directors looking to create a language that’s unique to that story.”
This trilogy introduced Lachman to Augusto Pinochet, the Chilean dictator who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990. While those films dealt with his reign indirectly, El Conde, is Larraín’s first to tackle Pinochet head on.
This trilogy introduced Lachman to Augusto Pinochet, the Chilean dictator who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990. While those films dealt with his reign indirectly, El Conde, is Larraín’s first to tackle Pinochet head on.
- 9/20/2023
- by Caleb Hammond
- The Film Stage
During the final week of production on director Pablo Larraín’s “El Conde” in Patagonia, cinematographer Ed Lachman broke his hip, the result of a bathroom slip and “not doing anything heroic [on set],” the famed cinematographer joked while recalling the fall to IndieWire.
The injury was no joking matter for Lachman, who was devastated he couldn’t shoot his longtime collaborator Todd Haynes’ film, “May December.” And later this month when Haynes and crew premiere that new film at the New York Film Festival, Lachman, a staple at the fest since the early ’70s, also won’t be able to be in Alice Tully Hall cheering them on. But that’s actually this story’s happy ending.
“I’m in Berlin doing tests for Pablo’s new movie,” said Lachman. That’s right, Lachman’s back, prepping Larraín’s new film “Maria,” starring Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas and set to...
The injury was no joking matter for Lachman, who was devastated he couldn’t shoot his longtime collaborator Todd Haynes’ film, “May December.” And later this month when Haynes and crew premiere that new film at the New York Film Festival, Lachman, a staple at the fest since the early ’70s, also won’t be able to be in Alice Tully Hall cheering them on. But that’s actually this story’s happy ending.
“I’m in Berlin doing tests for Pablo’s new movie,” said Lachman. That’s right, Lachman’s back, prepping Larraín’s new film “Maria,” starring Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas and set to...
- 9/15/2023
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
The company has also unveiled an Israel-based €150m fund for film and scripted TV projects.
With five films playing in competition, European production and distribution group Fremantle is enjoying a strong presence at this year’s Venice Film Festival.
Fremantle’s Ireland-uk label Element Pictures is behind one of the hottest films on the Lido this year, Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, while Italian label Wildside produced Saverio Costanzo’s big budget Finally Dawn.
Another Fremantle Italian production label The Apartment, meanwhile, is involved in three films in competition – Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla , Stefano Sollima’s Adagio and Piero Castellito’s Enea.
With five films playing in competition, European production and distribution group Fremantle is enjoying a strong presence at this year’s Venice Film Festival.
Fremantle’s Ireland-uk label Element Pictures is behind one of the hottest films on the Lido this year, Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, while Italian label Wildside produced Saverio Costanzo’s big budget Finally Dawn.
Another Fremantle Italian production label The Apartment, meanwhile, is involved in three films in competition – Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla , Stefano Sollima’s Adagio and Piero Castellito’s Enea.
- 9/8/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Fremantle kicked off its presence at the Venice Film Festival with a bang this year with the announcement of its new €150M ($162.7M) Scripted Fund forged in partnership with Israel-based Ibi Investment House.
The fund is reserved exclusively for select projects being developed by Fremantle’s stable of scripted drama companies, which include UK’s Dancing Ledge and Element Pictures, Italy’s The Apartment, Wildside and Lux Vide, as well as The Immigrant, specialized in Latin America and Spanish content.
First projects backed by the fund include previously announced feature Maria, the high-profile Maria Callas biopic, starring Angelina Jolie and directed by Pablo Larraín, who is at Venice this year with Augusto Pinochet dark comedy/horror El Conde.
Two newly unveiled series will also benefit: the four-part thriller Generation Loss, written by Bridgerton’s Sarah Dollard, and six-part revenge thriller Shelter, to which Jeremy Webb is attached to direct.
Fremantle is not involved in Larrain’s Netflix-backed El Conde but is present instead with five other Golden Lion contenders, including Yorgos Lanthimos’ buzzed about Poor Things, Stefano Sollima’s well-reviewed Adagio, Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, Salvatore Costanzo’s 1950s Cinecittà drama Finally Dawn, and Pietro Castellitto’s Enea
In a sign of a growing presence in the film world, the company is basing itself out of a vast beachfront villa just down the road from the festival’s main hub for the first time this year.
Deadline sat down with top Fremantle execs, Group COO and CEO Continental Europe Andrea Scrosati and CEO Global Drama Christian Vesper, in the peace of its lawned garden to discuss the genesis and implications of the new scripted fund.
Deadline: How did Fremantle connect with Ibi Investment House?
Scrosati: It came to us through our CEO in Israel Guy Hameiri, who is also going to be the CEO of the fund. He runs our company there [Abot Hameiri), which we initially invested in and then bought out two years ago.
He came to me around like nine months ago, saying that the leadership in Ibi was interested in finding a way to invest in scripted content. Together, we developed this model that I think is pretty new.
Deadline: What do you mean by new? There are other funds in existence investing in scripted content.
Andrea Scrosati: I think the interesting component here is that it’s a financial institution partnering with a content production company. The projects can only come from Fremantle. So that’s the intriguing component, for us. Then, this fund will fully finance those projects, which is also rare, especially for TV. To have a self-funded studio kind of model on drama is slightly rare. And then Fremantle will go out and sell.
Deadline: What encouraged you to go down this route?
Scrosati: It’s coherent with our strategic positioning. Talent has a lot of opportunity choices… but to super simplify, there are two key potential choices. One, talent signs a deal with a big direct-to-consumer operation. It’s an absolutely a fine choice. But obviously, what happens is that the talent then has to deliver results that are coherent with the platform that needs to sell the subscriptions.
Our approach to talent is different. We say, ‘We’re going to focus on your project, we’re going to support your project, we’re going to potentially finance or risk on your project, and then we’re going to find the right home for your project, because not every project is okay for every place.’ This new device helps us with this strategic positioning.
There is a tactical component because of where the market is today. Big traditional buyers didn’t stop buying but are for sure on a slower kind of pace. We strongly believe that good content has a future. I’m very positive about where the market is going to be in three or four years from today. In every market there’s growth, and then an adjustment.
The problem with where the market is today is that there are great opportunities, sometimes that involve great talent, but they have a time component and you risk not doing those projects if you’re waiting for the green light from Apple, Disney, Netflix, or Amazon.
Deadline: If the commissioning contraction hadn’t happened would you still have gone down this route?
Scrosati: Yes, for the strategic reason I mentioned.
Christian Vesper: Not Maria, because Maria is a film and starts very soon. And that was a different calculation. But for the two TV shows that we discuss in the [press] release, part of the consideration there was we believe in the projects. We know there’s a market for them but the talent attached has a discrete window, and so much of our business model has been based on how we bring in talent. How do we service our talent? Our job is to help them get their shows made and on the air. And this gives us one more powerful tool for doing that.
Deadline: Will the new fund change the way you deal with the broadcasters and streamers ?
Scrosati: The buyers are our partners. These shows will go to a client or a streamer. The fund is simply a way to accelerate the production time schedule. The buyer will be able to access a product when it is actually already in production or is already produced.
Vesper: One of our best clients in the UK is struggling now with some of their bigger shows. Even if they’ve greenlit them, they can’t find the financing for the rest of the budget. This is partly to step into that void. The networks, the linears and the public broadcasters, they’re struggling to fulfill all their programming needs with the resources they have and this provides yet one more avenue to do that.
Deadline: Can the fund be accessed by all the companies producing scripted content under the Fremantle umbrella?
Scrosati: Yes, as you can see with the first three projects. One of them is taking place in Israel, one in in UK, and one is a Chilean-Italian co-production, shot in Hungary. It’s going to be fantastically global.
Deadline: You have set yourselves the target of a €3B turnover by 2025. Do you think that’s realistic? And why have you set yourself this goal?
Scrosati: The goal was set by our shareholders… I’ve worked for a few different shareholders over the course of my career. The thing I’ve found incredibly strong is that Bertelsmann and Rtl have set a goal but have also given us all the support and instruments to reach that goal. It is a very ambitious goal because obviously the company was doing a very different number three years ago, but again they have given us all the support.
One thing, which is really important to say, is that the growth we have done in the last few years has been a been a mix of M&a and organic growth. This growth is not simply because we are acquiring companies, but rather because we are diversifying and creating a business portfolio. An example of this, is that five years ago, we were delivering two movies a year, and last year, we delivered 17, and with the exception of Element, which is an acquisition, all these movies come from companies that were already part of Fremantle.
Vesper: When I joined the company, Wildside was already a crucial part of the company, and I’ve been here six years now and the growth there is all organic and extraordinary.
Scrosati: The M&a we’ve done is all part of strategic plans. It’s been about acquiring companies that were best in class in a sector where we were not present. Element is a fantastic example of that. We did not have an English language, movie production company. Or, best in class in potentially growing regions where we were not present. We invested in Latin American company The Immigrant a few years ago when it was a start-up. It now has three productions on the go and its first movie Adolfo won the Generation 14 Plus prize in Berlin.
Vesper: One of our companies in England, Dancing Ledge, is hitting it out of the park in terms of the number of series they have on BBC and all the platforms. Like The Immigrant, we invested in them when they had done nothing. It’s not like we’re buying revenue. A lot of the M&a is investment in the future.
Deadline: Do you plan to keep up the pace of scripted company acquisitions of the last three years, or is that calming down?
Scrosati: In line with what we were just saying, If there is something that is coherent with our growth, in areas where we’re still not present, or there is a company or creative team that we really think has potential, we will still invest. The other component is the cultural element. We are a big company but we’re very lean. The scripted management team is basically in front of you. The only way it can work is if we see can see an element where it will work intellectually and culturally.
Deadline: Do you have further growth plans for scripted in the U.S.?
Scrosati: It’s our first territory. The company’s core business is still the entertainment and unscripted business and the U.S. is a massive territory for us for that. In addition, Dante di Loreto is leading the scripted team and has a lot going on.
Vesper: We have a show, Fellow Travellers, coming out on Paramount+ at the end of September. It’s a big mini-series with Matt Bomer, Jonathan Bailey and Allison Williams, that was developed with Showtime and that we produced for them. Six-part, gorgeous, about the gay panic in the CIA in the 50s. We also produced two seasons of Mosquito Coast for Apple.
We have a number of big shows that we’re about to announce. What’s interesting is that we have a couple of projects that the U.S. have set up to shoot here (Europe), and vice versa. We’re trying to make sure that our European producers have the resources in the U.S., and the other way round. We’re constantly strategizing about this, it’s important for us to continue to build that business in the U.S..
The fund is reserved exclusively for select projects being developed by Fremantle’s stable of scripted drama companies, which include UK’s Dancing Ledge and Element Pictures, Italy’s The Apartment, Wildside and Lux Vide, as well as The Immigrant, specialized in Latin America and Spanish content.
First projects backed by the fund include previously announced feature Maria, the high-profile Maria Callas biopic, starring Angelina Jolie and directed by Pablo Larraín, who is at Venice this year with Augusto Pinochet dark comedy/horror El Conde.
Two newly unveiled series will also benefit: the four-part thriller Generation Loss, written by Bridgerton’s Sarah Dollard, and six-part revenge thriller Shelter, to which Jeremy Webb is attached to direct.
Fremantle is not involved in Larrain’s Netflix-backed El Conde but is present instead with five other Golden Lion contenders, including Yorgos Lanthimos’ buzzed about Poor Things, Stefano Sollima’s well-reviewed Adagio, Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, Salvatore Costanzo’s 1950s Cinecittà drama Finally Dawn, and Pietro Castellitto’s Enea
In a sign of a growing presence in the film world, the company is basing itself out of a vast beachfront villa just down the road from the festival’s main hub for the first time this year.
Deadline sat down with top Fremantle execs, Group COO and CEO Continental Europe Andrea Scrosati and CEO Global Drama Christian Vesper, in the peace of its lawned garden to discuss the genesis and implications of the new scripted fund.
Deadline: How did Fremantle connect with Ibi Investment House?
Scrosati: It came to us through our CEO in Israel Guy Hameiri, who is also going to be the CEO of the fund. He runs our company there [Abot Hameiri), which we initially invested in and then bought out two years ago.
He came to me around like nine months ago, saying that the leadership in Ibi was interested in finding a way to invest in scripted content. Together, we developed this model that I think is pretty new.
Deadline: What do you mean by new? There are other funds in existence investing in scripted content.
Andrea Scrosati: I think the interesting component here is that it’s a financial institution partnering with a content production company. The projects can only come from Fremantle. So that’s the intriguing component, for us. Then, this fund will fully finance those projects, which is also rare, especially for TV. To have a self-funded studio kind of model on drama is slightly rare. And then Fremantle will go out and sell.
Deadline: What encouraged you to go down this route?
Scrosati: It’s coherent with our strategic positioning. Talent has a lot of opportunity choices… but to super simplify, there are two key potential choices. One, talent signs a deal with a big direct-to-consumer operation. It’s an absolutely a fine choice. But obviously, what happens is that the talent then has to deliver results that are coherent with the platform that needs to sell the subscriptions.
Our approach to talent is different. We say, ‘We’re going to focus on your project, we’re going to support your project, we’re going to potentially finance or risk on your project, and then we’re going to find the right home for your project, because not every project is okay for every place.’ This new device helps us with this strategic positioning.
There is a tactical component because of where the market is today. Big traditional buyers didn’t stop buying but are for sure on a slower kind of pace. We strongly believe that good content has a future. I’m very positive about where the market is going to be in three or four years from today. In every market there’s growth, and then an adjustment.
The problem with where the market is today is that there are great opportunities, sometimes that involve great talent, but they have a time component and you risk not doing those projects if you’re waiting for the green light from Apple, Disney, Netflix, or Amazon.
Deadline: If the commissioning contraction hadn’t happened would you still have gone down this route?
Scrosati: Yes, for the strategic reason I mentioned.
Christian Vesper: Not Maria, because Maria is a film and starts very soon. And that was a different calculation. But for the two TV shows that we discuss in the [press] release, part of the consideration there was we believe in the projects. We know there’s a market for them but the talent attached has a discrete window, and so much of our business model has been based on how we bring in talent. How do we service our talent? Our job is to help them get their shows made and on the air. And this gives us one more powerful tool for doing that.
Deadline: Will the new fund change the way you deal with the broadcasters and streamers ?
Scrosati: The buyers are our partners. These shows will go to a client or a streamer. The fund is simply a way to accelerate the production time schedule. The buyer will be able to access a product when it is actually already in production or is already produced.
Vesper: One of our best clients in the UK is struggling now with some of their bigger shows. Even if they’ve greenlit them, they can’t find the financing for the rest of the budget. This is partly to step into that void. The networks, the linears and the public broadcasters, they’re struggling to fulfill all their programming needs with the resources they have and this provides yet one more avenue to do that.
Deadline: Can the fund be accessed by all the companies producing scripted content under the Fremantle umbrella?
Scrosati: Yes, as you can see with the first three projects. One of them is taking place in Israel, one in in UK, and one is a Chilean-Italian co-production, shot in Hungary. It’s going to be fantastically global.
Deadline: You have set yourselves the target of a €3B turnover by 2025. Do you think that’s realistic? And why have you set yourself this goal?
Scrosati: The goal was set by our shareholders… I’ve worked for a few different shareholders over the course of my career. The thing I’ve found incredibly strong is that Bertelsmann and Rtl have set a goal but have also given us all the support and instruments to reach that goal. It is a very ambitious goal because obviously the company was doing a very different number three years ago, but again they have given us all the support.
One thing, which is really important to say, is that the growth we have done in the last few years has been a been a mix of M&a and organic growth. This growth is not simply because we are acquiring companies, but rather because we are diversifying and creating a business portfolio. An example of this, is that five years ago, we were delivering two movies a year, and last year, we delivered 17, and with the exception of Element, which is an acquisition, all these movies come from companies that were already part of Fremantle.
Vesper: When I joined the company, Wildside was already a crucial part of the company, and I’ve been here six years now and the growth there is all organic and extraordinary.
Scrosati: The M&a we’ve done is all part of strategic plans. It’s been about acquiring companies that were best in class in a sector where we were not present. Element is a fantastic example of that. We did not have an English language, movie production company. Or, best in class in potentially growing regions where we were not present. We invested in Latin American company The Immigrant a few years ago when it was a start-up. It now has three productions on the go and its first movie Adolfo won the Generation 14 Plus prize in Berlin.
Vesper: One of our companies in England, Dancing Ledge, is hitting it out of the park in terms of the number of series they have on BBC and all the platforms. Like The Immigrant, we invested in them when they had done nothing. It’s not like we’re buying revenue. A lot of the M&a is investment in the future.
Deadline: Do you plan to keep up the pace of scripted company acquisitions of the last three years, or is that calming down?
Scrosati: In line with what we were just saying, If there is something that is coherent with our growth, in areas where we’re still not present, or there is a company or creative team that we really think has potential, we will still invest. The other component is the cultural element. We are a big company but we’re very lean. The scripted management team is basically in front of you. The only way it can work is if we see can see an element where it will work intellectually and culturally.
Deadline: Do you have further growth plans for scripted in the U.S.?
Scrosati: It’s our first territory. The company’s core business is still the entertainment and unscripted business and the U.S. is a massive territory for us for that. In addition, Dante di Loreto is leading the scripted team and has a lot going on.
Vesper: We have a show, Fellow Travellers, coming out on Paramount+ at the end of September. It’s a big mini-series with Matt Bomer, Jonathan Bailey and Allison Williams, that was developed with Showtime and that we produced for them. Six-part, gorgeous, about the gay panic in the CIA in the 50s. We also produced two seasons of Mosquito Coast for Apple.
We have a number of big shows that we’re about to announce. What’s interesting is that we have a couple of projects that the U.S. have set up to shoot here (Europe), and vice versa. We’re trying to make sure that our European producers have the resources in the U.S., and the other way round. We’re constantly strategizing about this, it’s important for us to continue to build that business in the U.S..
- 9/4/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Global production and distribution powerhouse Fremantle has revealed a strategic alliance at the Venice Film Festival with Israeli-based Ibi Investment House, which involves the launch of a 150 million euro ($163 million) fund to bankroll a portfolio of premium scripted TV and film projects.
Under the deal, which will last four years, Fremantle will bring a diverse range of projects from its network of studio companies to the Ibi fund, fast-tracking the production of each title. The partners say the projects will also benefit from the creative oversight of Fremantle’s global drama team, led by its CEO Christian Vesper, who will work with the fund throughout the lifecycle of each production. All TV projects approved through the fund will be distributed by Fremantle International.
“At Fremantle, we are always focused on innovation and this alliance with Ibi is a perfect example of this ethos and approach,” said Fremantle Group CEO Jennifer Mullin.
Under the deal, which will last four years, Fremantle will bring a diverse range of projects from its network of studio companies to the Ibi fund, fast-tracking the production of each title. The partners say the projects will also benefit from the creative oversight of Fremantle’s global drama team, led by its CEO Christian Vesper, who will work with the fund throughout the lifecycle of each production. All TV projects approved through the fund will be distributed by Fremantle International.
“At Fremantle, we are always focused on innovation and this alliance with Ibi is a perfect example of this ethos and approach,” said Fremantle Group CEO Jennifer Mullin.
- 9/1/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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