‘Bondi Vet’ Producer WTFN Group Goes Up For Sale As Australian M&A Market Heats Up

EXCLUSIVE: The EFM market has lift off! In the first major worldwide pact done on the ground here in Berlin, Sony has tied up a deal in the $50M range for Margot Robbie (Barbie) and Colin Farrell (The Batman) package A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, which is one of the market’s hottest scripts.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Highland Film Group has locked key territory deals for sci-fi thriller “The Astronaut” from “A Quiet Place” producer Brad Fuller Pic stars Kate Mara (“A Teacher”), Laurence Fishburne (“John Wick” films) and Gabriel Luna (“Terminator: Dark Fate”). The film wrapped shooting late last year in Ireland. “The Astronaut” has sold to Signature Entertainment for the U.K., Capelight Pictures for Germany, Blue Swan Entertainment for Italy, Nos Lusomundo Audiovisuais for Portugal, DeAPlaneta for Spain, Spentzos Film for Greece, Cinemania Group for former Yugoslavia, Shoval Film Production for Israel, Falcon Films for the Middle East, Filmfinity for South Africa and Roadshow Films for Australia and New Zealand.

Alex Ritman Saban Films has acquired North American rights to the British thriller “Kill,” starring Paul Higgins (“Slow Horses,” “Line of Duty”), Brian Vernel (“Star Wars: Episode VII – the Force Awakens,” “Dunkirk”), Daniel Portman (“Game of Thrones, The Angel’s Share”), Calum Ross (“Wednesday”), Anita Vettesse (“Outlander,” “Guilt”), James Harkness (“Darkest Hour,” “Phantom Thread”) and Joanne Thomson (“The Victim”). The film, which explores the history of violence, the power of family and the dangers of revenge, marks the feature directorial debut of Rodger Griffiths, who devised the story and co-wrote the screenplay with Rob Drummond. “Kill” follows a hunting trip that turns deadly when three brothers plot to murder their violent, abusive father.

As Gogglebox returns to our screens with a brand new series, once again viewers will be treated to a mischievous cast of avid telly critics as they share their views about the week’s best shows and movies to hit our screens. Yet while some of the stars appear on the show alongside their families, others prefer to keep their partners out of the spotlight.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer 101 Studios, the film and TV production entity run by David Glasser, has named Gray Krakower as executive vice president of brand partnerships. Karkower joins the company behind “Yellowstone” and many spinoffs in the lucrative Taylor Sheridan universe from Endeavor/IMG. There he served clients as a VP of global licensing and branding, working on accounts like Lionsgate Films (“John Wick,” “Saw,” “The Hunger Games”), gaming giant Fortnite and on country legend Dolly Parton’s consumer products.

Helen Mirren made a statement about AI while accepting her Lifetime Achievement award at the 37th Annual American Cinematheque Awards on Thursday night (February 15) in Beverly Hills, Ohio.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Variety is premiering the trailer (below) for feature documentary “Transition,” which follows Australian filmmaker Jordan Bryon, a trans man, as he embeds with a Taliban unit as they retake control of Afghanistan. The film, directed by Monica Villamizar and Bryon, will be released in the U.S. on March 26 by Gravitas Ventures.

Christopher Vourlias MetFilm Sales has secured international rights to “The Battle for Laikipia,” Daphne Matziaraki and Peter Murimi’s multi-layered portrait of the conflict between Indigenous pastoralists and white landowners in Kenya. The film had its world premiere as part of the World Cinema Documentary section at the Sundance Film Festival. Submarine Entertainment Sales negotiated the deal with MetFilm on behalf of the filmmakers and is handling North American sales.

Sundance dealmaking was buoyant, the awards season is coming to a head with a number of critically acclaimed movies having done well at the box office, and apparently peak TV is over. Whisper it quietly, but after years of movies being almost a dirty word compared to the lustre of TV, is independent theatrical film staging a comeback?

Jennifer Lopez is going out on tour this summer!

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief U.S-Asian sales company EST N8 has picked up the international rights for “30 Minutes,” a Korean sci-fi thriller film that is currently in production. The story revolves around a middle-aged man trapped in a time loop, repeatedly reliving the Christmas Eve of his murder.

A Perth Scout group are looking forward to an adventure in Switzerland later this year.

Disney veteran Debra OConnell has been elevated to the new role of president, News Group and Networks, Disney Entertainment.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS are often seen with the red buckets making a pitch for their cause and collecting donations from theatergoers as actors take their final bow after the performance.The group recently announced that it donated two $200,000 donations to Doctors for the World and the International Rescue Committee to provide humanitarian assistance in Gaza while the war rages between Israel and Hamas. But Rabbi Erica Gerson filed a complaint with Attorney General Letitia James’ Charities Bureau, saying the group was misleading theatergoers about the purpose of the donations.Gerson recently donated to Broadway Cares while attending the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child show with her daughter.Afterward, Gerson said she was flabbergasted when she saw a story in the theater publication, Playbill, that Broadway Cares donated $400,000 for humanitarian efforts in Gaza.“I was entirely misled by both the verbal pitch at the theater and the description on the website.

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Tatiana Siegel Joe Biden didn’t score an endorsement from Taylor Swift on Super Bowl Sunday, as some had predicted. But her boyfriend Travis Kelce is using the president’s renewable energy tax credits to finance the film “My Dead Friend Zoe.” The SXSW-bound indie, which stars Natalie Morales, Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman, marks Kelce’s first foray into movies, with the Kansas City Chiefs tight end serving as an executive producer.

EXCLUSIVE: SC Films International is heading to the upcoming European Film Market with Aussie fantasy horror Dusk, starring Charles Cottier (Please Like Me), Peter Thurnwald (XO Kitty), Shuang Hu (Five Blind Dates), Isabella Procida, and George Pullar.

Alex Ritman “Kneecap,” the wildly raucous comedy biopic about the Irish rap group that became one of the unexpected hits of this year’s Sundance, has scored more international sales. The film, the debut feature of director Rich Peppiatt starring the band members as themselves along with Michael Fassbender, was already picked up in Park City by Sony Pictures Classics, which acquired all rights to the title for North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Turkey and the Middle East.

Welcome to Deadline’s International Disruptors, a feature where we shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside of the U.S. shaking up the offshore marketplace. Today we’re talking to UK film veterans Richard Kondal and Patrick Fischer, founders of post-production house Creativity Media and film finance company Creativity Capital. The duo, which sold Creativity Media to Fulwell 73 in 2019, talk us through the jump from post-production to financing to the launch of their new London-based co-production outfit Big Safari, international sales strand Architect and investment in VFX house Koala FX. 

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Australia-based indie sales firm Odin’s Eye Entertainment has picked up international rights to adult-skewing animation film “The Weird Kidz.” The film, which has a 1980s vibe and sense of humor, debuted last year in festivals and Odin’s Eye will be using Berlin’s European Film Market to launch an expanded version. A weekend camping trip becomes a disarming and unexpected rite of passage for three adventurous boys and one big brother looking to score with his girlfriend.