Film Constellation Scores Pre-Sales on Animated Feature ‘The Growcodile’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent After starring in Mona Achache’s “Little Girl Blue” which played at Cannes, Marion Cotillard will work with another daring French female auteur, Lucile Hadzihalilovic, on her next film “La tour de glace.” The long-gestated film marks the first collaboration between Hadzihalilovic and Muriel Merlin (“France,” “The Truth”), producer at 3B Productions. Hadzihalilovic’s follow up to “Earwig,” which won the jury prize at San Sebastian, “La Tour de glace” is expected to be the director’s most accessible and ambitious film to date. The movie will reteam Hadzihalilovic with Cotillard who had starred in her 2004 film “Innocence.” Co-written by Geoff Cox, “La tour de glace” is set in the 1970s and follows Jeanne, a teenage girl who runs away from her orphanage located in a mountain village. She flees to Paris with big dreams to fulfill and finds shelter in a warehouse which turns out to be used as a studio where The Snow Queen is being filmed. The film’s star, Cristina, a beautiful woman in her forties, takes Jeanne under her wing, exerting a dangerous and overpowering influence over the young girl she sees herself in.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Vivendi has entered into exclusive negotiations with Figaro Group, the company behind one of France’s leading national newspapers, to sell its stake in Gala magazine. The sale of Gala is one of two antitrust requirements imposed by the European Commission to allow Vivendi to complete its acquisition of French media banner Lagardère Group, the parent company of Hachette Livres. The other antitrust commitment has led Vivendi to sell 100% of its publishing banner Editis to a subsidiary of Czech Media Invest (CMI) founded by Daniel Kretinsky. Editis is home to Robert Laffont, Plon and Julliard, among others. Gala magazine, a popular French title similar to People Magazine, boasts a daily edition during the Cannes Film Festival and belongs to Prisma Media, which is itself owned by Vivendi.

Dancing With The Stars is back for another season and it has already had quite a dramatic start. Watch Below: Matt Preston low score on Dancing With The StarsThe show's first elimination was anything but normal, with ex-MasterChef judge Matt Preston choosing to leave the show early on his own accord. A voting system usually determines the series eliminations with the bottom two teams required to compete in a dance-off, however, Matt who found himself in the bottom two alongside AFL star Gavin Wanganeen, chose to quit the competition.   “I’ve loved everything about this, but my ankle is cooked,” Matt told hosts Daryl Somers and Sonia Kruger during Sunday night's episode. “I can’t dance again tonight so what I want to do is to concede and give the win to Gavin, who did brilliantly today and I’m so proud to be doing this for you, brother.”Responding to the surprising news, Daryl revealed that the show had "never had this happen" and turned to the judges to see their reaction. “I mean, injuries happen and there’s nothing you can do about that,” Craig Revel Horwood shared.“I’ve been a dancer all my life, if you’re injured you shouldn’t dance on an injury – so Matt, I think you’ve made the right decision. Sad to see you go, but Gavin, darling welcome, for you get another life on the show now.”“You’re absolutely doing the right thing and thank you for giving us determination and your courage, you’ve been wonderful,” Sharna Burgess added.“And I’m gonna give you a big hug after the show.”This highly anticipated 2023 series marks the show's second instalment on the network, having originally aired from 2004 to 2015 before briefly moving to Channel 10.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Samuel Goldwyn Films has unveiled the trailer for “Simone: Woman of the Century,” a biopic of Simone Veil, an Auschwitz survivor who became health minister of France and championed the 1975 law that legalized abortion in France.  Directed by Olivier Dahan, best-known for his Oscar-winning Edith Piaf biopic “La Vie en Rose,” “Simone” boasts powerful performances by Elsa Zylberstein and Rebecca Marder. The key cast is completed by Elodie Bouchez, Sylvie Testud and Olivier Gourmet. The film was a box office hit in France, where it was released by Warner Bros and ranked as 2022’s third highest-grossing French-language hit with over 2.5 million tickets sold. Samuel Goldwyn Films is planning to release the film in U.S. theaters, opening in New York and Los Angeles on Aug. 18, followed by a wider rollout.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Izhar Harlev, the co-creator and head writer for “Mossad 101” and “The Gordin Cell,” is set to showrun “Maggiore,” a thriller series revolving around the sinking of a boat full of Israeli and Italian intelligence officers on Lake Maggiore in the Swiss Alps. Ordered by leading Israeli network Yes TV (“Fauda,” “Shtisel”), “Maggiore” is being developed and produced by Dafna Prenner at Israel’s Artza Productions, the banner behind Netflix’s hit show “The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem”; Leo Maidenberg at Paris-based Place du Marché and Jad Ben Ammar at Kador (“Sisters in Arms“) and his new banner Talea Produzioni in Italy. The eight-part series will revolve around the sinking of the small boat on Lake Maggiore on May 28 and the chain of events that followed the tragedy. The boat sank after being hit by a violent storm. Out of the 23 passengers on board, four people drowned, including a former agent of Israel’s spy agency Mossad, two Italian intelligence officers and a Russian woman.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Eye Eye Pictures, the banner recently launched by the producers of Joachim Trier’s Oscar-nominated “The Worst Person in the World,” has started filming “Armand,” a feature film starring Cannes prizewinning actor Renate Reinsve. Charades has come on board to handle international sales on the film. “Armand” marks the feature debut of Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, whose short film “Fanny” was nominated for an Amanda Award, Norway’s equivalent to the Oscars, in 2017. The story follows a 6-year-old boy, Armand, who is accused of crossing boundaries against his best friend at elementary school. While no one knows what actually happened between the two boys, the incident triggers a series of events, forcing parents and school staff into a captivating battle of redemption where madness, desire and obsession arise.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas, Rachel Zegler and Emily Mortimer are in talks to join the cast of “Paddington in Peru,” the third opus of the beloved bear’s adventures. Set to start filming on July, the third installment film will also star Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin. Ben Whishaw and Imelda Staunton will also be back as the voices of Paddington and Aunt Lucy, respectively. Filming locations will include the UK, Peru and Colombia. The movie will mark the feature film directorial debut of Dougal Wilson, and reteams Studiocanal with Heyday Films following their collaboration on the first two films of the Paddington franchise. Studiocanal is fully financing and will distribute in the UK, France, Germany, Benelux, Poland, Australia and New Zealand as well as through partners in China and Japan. Sony Pictures will distribute in the USA, Canada and other key international territories including Latin America.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Kino Lorber has acquired U.S. rights to “Four Daughters,” Kaouther Ben Hania’s film which competed at the Cannes Film Festival. The competition’s sole Arab film, “Four Daughters” mixes documentary and fiction to tell the story of a Tunisian mother whose two elder daughters joined ISIS. It won L’Oeil d’or or “Golden Eye” Award at Cannes for best documentary and is now set to roll off into the international festival circuit. Kino Lorber plans to release it theatrically this fall, followed by a digital and home video release on all major platforms. The New York-based distribution company has high hopes for “Four Daughters” during the next awards season. Last year’s L’Oeil d’Or winner, “All That Breathes,” went on to earn an Oscar nomination for best documentary. Ben Hania previously earned an Oscar nomination with her 2020 film “The Man Who Sold His Skin” in the international feature film category.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent French actor-director Nicolas Bedos has been placed in police custody in Paris following a police complaint filed by a woman for an alleged sexual assault, Variety has confirmed. The alleged incident occurred during the night of June 1 in a Parisian club where Bedos allegedly put his hand on the crotch of the woman who was wearing jeans, according to news agency AFP, which reported that it had access to the police complaint. Bedos’ attorney Julia Minkowski declined to comment. A source close to Bedos told French journalists that if such act had occurred, it had to be “accidental.” Bedos has been in custody since Wednesday afternoon.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Leos Carax, whose latest film “Annette” won best director at Cannes in 2021, will shed light on his enigmatic and singular body of work in his next project “It’s Not Me.” The self-portrait film reunites Carax with French actor Denis Lavant whom he directed in five of his most famous films, including “Boy Meets Girl,” “Bad Blood,” “Lovers on the Bridge,” and Berlinale prizewinning “Holy Motors.” Les Films du Losange, the Paris-based company which won this year’s Berlinale Golden Bear with Nicolas Philibert’s On The Adamant, will distribute “It’s Not Me” in France, as well as represent the film in international markets. “It’s Not Me” also reteams Carax with Charles Gillibert at CG Cinema, who produced “Annette.” After world premiering at Cannes, the ambitious English language musical drama went on to win many laurels, including best director at the Cesar Awards. It also earned a Cesar nomination for Driver, and a Golden Globe nomination for Cotillard.

Tom Cruise hit the red carpet at the world premiere of his new movie Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and critics released some glowing reactions to the film after the big event.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent While unveiling its slate of new French originals and acquisitions on Monday, Prime Video announced that it would skip a French theatrical release for “Challengers,” Luca Guadagnino’s anticipated tennis drama. The film, which stars Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and “West Side Story” star Mike Faist, will still be released in theaters in all other territories. During a posh press event hosted at the Pavillon Royal on the outskirts of Paris, Brigitte Ricou-Bellan, Prime Video’s country managing director for France, said the strategic move by the Amazon streamer resulted from France’s notoriously strict windowing rules, which demands streamers to wait 15 to 17 months after a theatrical roll out before making a new film available on their services. The rule has led other studios to opt to skip French cinemas for new releases before, such as Disney’s decision to debut “Strange World” on streaming.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Sudanese director Mohamed Kordofani’s feature debut “Goodbye Julia,” a timely morality tale that takes place just before the 2011 secession of South Sudan and won the Un Certain Regard section’s Prix de Liberté (Freedom Prize) at Cannes, has scored a raft of sales following its launch. The first Sudanese film ever to screen in Cannes official selection, “Goodbye Julia” is the story of two women — one from the North, the other from the South — who are brought together by fate in a complex relationship that attempts to reconcile differences between northern and southern Sudanese communities in the currently war-ravaged country.

Matthew Broderick couldn't be happier to be a dad.The celebrated actor walked the red carpet at the 2023 Father of the Year Awards at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel on Thursday, where he was joined by his 20-year-old son, James Wilkie Broderick, who presented him with the special honor at the event.ET spoke with the father-son duo ahead of the gala, and Matthew, 61, said that out of all the things he's done, being a father «is my favorite.»Reflecting on the unexpected nature of fatherhood, Matthew explained, «It just happens, you know? You don't really know how to do it, and then suddenly you're a dad. But I'm very happy that that happened.»«I didn't really choose for him to be my dad either, in the same fashion,» James chimed in with a laugh. «But I'm extremely happy.»Matthew and his wife, Sarah Jessica Parker, welcomed James in 2002.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Sapan Studios and IFC Films have acquired U.S. rights to “The Pot-au-Feu,” Trần Anh Hùng’s (“The Scent of Green Papaya”) lush gastronomy-themed romance which competed at the Cannes Film Festival and won best director. The movie is headlined by two of France’s biggest stars, Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel, who won this year’s Cesar Award for “Pacifiction.” “The Pot-au-Feu” was produced by Olivier Delbosc at Curiosa Films and is represented in international markets by Gaumont.  The movie is one of the first titles co-acquired by Sapan Studios and IFC Films as part of their output deal. Sapan Studios is a new TV and film production/distribution company run by former AMC Networks CEO Josh Sapan.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Apple TV+ will be tapping into France’s lavish culinary heritage with “Carême,” a new original series about the world’s first celebrity chef, Antonin Carême, which will be directed by Martin Bourboulon (“The Three Musketeers: d’Artagnan”). Set in the 19th century, the eight-episode French drama will chart the sprawling story of Carême, who rose from humble beginnings in Paris to the height of culinary stardom in Napoleon’s Europe. He not only became an iconic chef, he also became a spy for France as his talent and ambitions attracted the attention of powerful politicians, including Napoleon. The series will shed light on the miserable reality of 19th century kitchens, contrasting with the opulence of the mansions and sophisticated of aristocrats.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent “Forest,” an Italian eco-themed animation film about deforestation, has scored some strong pre-sales for Rome-based True Colours at the Cannes Marché du film. The still-in-production 3-D animation feature – the protagonist of which is a young mushroom named Fey – has been picked up for roughly 20 territories by Top Film Distribution which will distribute “Forest” in Ukraine, CIS, the Baltics, and Eastern European countries including former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Poland, Czech and Slovak Republics, Romania, and Hungary.  Helmed by Luca Della Grotta and Francesco Dafano, the film is produced by Italy’s AI One, the same team that previously spawned 2020 similarly themed animation feature “Trash” that sold in more than 30 countries. 

Former Blue Peter star Tim Vincent looks practically identical to his days presenting television in the 90s, bar his stylish silver hair.The Welsh-born presenter, 50, got his start on children's TV but went on to rub shoulders with Hollywood royalty - he even starred in a soap. Wrexham born Tim was spotted in London's famed Covent Garden on Thursday, 8 June, at the opening of popular steak restaurant Gaucho.The Blue Peter alum was the picture of laid back style, sporting a navy blue shirt with a white t-shirt peeking through below. He opted for a relaxed suede-look bomber jacket and finished the outfit with a pair of dark jeans.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Charades (“Mirai,” “I Lost My Body”) has acquired “Flow,” a 3D animated feature directed by Gints Zilbalodis, the Annie-nominated filmmaker of “Away”. Produced by Sacrebleu Productions, Dream Well Studio and Take Five, “Flow” will be presented in the Work-in-Progress section in Annecy. Zilbalodis penned the feature with Matiss Kaza at Dream Well Studio and Ron Dyens (“Barking Island”) at Sacrebleu Productions who are acting as co-writers and producers. “Flow” is currently in production in Marseille, Paris and Bruxelles, with an expected delivery date during the second quarter of 2024.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Banijay Rights has closed a major sale on its French drama series “Serial Lover” to Spanish broadcaster Atresmedia. “Serial Lover” marks the debut series for Banijay France’s label Shine Fiction, which is co-producing with Amaury Fournial from Sibaro Films. Written by Alice Den Broek and directed by Fred Berthe, “Serial Lover”‘s synopsis bills the show as “the story of a shrewd man who lives many different lives – a pilot, a surgeon, a broker, a journalist; developing a new personality for every identity and deceiving experts in each field. Handsome, charming, and attentive, exhilarated by his power, the deception becomes an art form as he manipulates all those around him, especially women who he targets and steals from. How many women have fallen in this trap?”