Headlining ‘Elite’ Star Omar Ayuso, Locarno Title ‘On the Go’ Swooped on by MPM Premium (EXCLUSIVE)

Naman Ramachandran Niv Art Movies, producer of Rotterdam winner “Sexy Durga,” and Little Lamb Films, the outfit behind Tallin, Santa Barbara and Edinburgh film “The Cloud and the Man,” have teamed for Locarno title “Whispers of Fire & Water.” An exclusive clip from the film has been provided to Variety. Lubdhak Chatterjee, who has previous shorts and documentaries to his credit, makes his fiction feature debut with the film. The narrative revolves around an audio installation artist who visits the coal mines of eastern India, an area plagued by depleting natural resources where fire burns constantly.

Naman Ramachandran Indian filmmaker Dominic Sangma’s “Rapture” (“Rimdogittanga”) is the second in a trilogy of films based on his memories of village life that began with his debut feature “Ma’ama” (2018). The Garo-language film, which revolves around a 10-year-old boy who suffers from night blindness and for whom every night is terrifying when his village is gripped by the fear of child-kidnappers, originated from another memory of Sangma, who hails from Meghalaya in northeastern India.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent LOCARNO — Spain’s Vertigo Films has boarded “All the World Drops Dead,” committing to co-produce the next scarefest from Austrian Kevin Kopacka, director of 2021’s noteworthy “Dawn Breaks Behind the Eyes.” Set up at Germany’s Manderley Films, which oversaw VFX on “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “All the World Drops Dead” has been brought to market at Locarno’s Match Me! Forum by producer and co-writer Lili Villlányi. Also produced by Manderley Films’ founder Rebekka Garrido, “All the World Drops Dead” ranks as one of the biggest genre plays on offer at this year’s Swiss festival – not an idle boast as distributors worldwide turn to genre, as well as family animation, as a reaction to plunging cinema theater audiences for arthouse cinema through and after the pandemic.

John Bleasdale Guest Contributor “The Vanishing Soldier” is a coming of age story, as breathless as its protagonist: the kind of film that will make cinephiles of seventeen-year-olds. Which is one of the reasons that Dani Rosenberg, the film’s 43-year-old director, is delighted to be in Locarno, where the film, sold by Intramovies, is screening in main competition, and has just got a trailer, and poster, shared in exclusivity with Variety. “We had options for other festivals,” Rosenberg told Variety at the Swiss fest.

Holly Jones Basil Da Cunha’s third feature, “Manga d’Terra,” bowed in Locarno’s main Competition on Friday, a strand that highlights contemporary cinema and innovative global debuts from established and emerging cineasts. His debut, “After the Night,” played the Cannes Festival’s Directors’ Fortnight in 2013, while his follow-up, “The End of the World,” screened in Locarno’s main competition in 2019.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Surprise! Legendary director Barbet Schroeder, in Locarno to introduce his latest doc “Ricardo and Painting,” was greeted with a Special Tribute Award before the screening. “Is this for the film?” Shroeder, a modest man, asked on stage. “No,” said Locarno festival director Giona Nazzaro.

Ellise Shafer “Lost in Paris” directing duo Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon have shared a first look at their new film “The Falling Star,” which premieres at this year’s Locarno Film Festival. Abel and Gordon also star in the film, which follows Boris (Abel), a former activist who works at a bartender at the Falling Star. According to the film’s official synopsis, Boris’ “guilty past resurfaces when a victim finds him and wants revenge.

Netflix recently announced that Sex Education‘s fourth season will be its last.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Fox Corp.’s Tubi, its free, ad-supported streaming TV service, has pounced on two high-profile Fantasia titles, led by “Where the Devil Roams,” the Adams family’s follow-up to “Hellbender,” Rotten Tomatoes No. 1 movie on its Top 10 of best-rated horror films of 2022, just besting Eskil Vogt’s “The Innocents.” Estimating that it reaches 64 million monthly active users, Tubi also pounced on doc feature “Satan Wants You,” which world premiered at March’s SXSW.

Marta Balaga Starring Deva Cassel, Laura Luchetti’s “The Beautiful Summer” (“La Bella Estate”) has bowed sales and a trailer, ahead of its world premiere at this week’s Locarno Festival. In a first deal to go down for sales agent True Colours, Palace Films has swooped on distribution rights to Australia and New Zealand. Xenix Filmdistribution will release in Switzerland “The Beautiful Summer,” which is loosely based on Cesare Pavese’s novel.

The cast of Friends will always be there for us, but it might just be in the form of re-runs of the beloved sitcom.

Follow OK! on Threads here: https://www.threads.net/@ok_mag Former Coronation Street star Katherine Kelly looks almost unrecognisable 11 years after her character Becky McDonald left the ITV soap. Katherine, 43 became a fan favourite on the cobbles having played the role of outgoing Becky for six years having first joined the show in 2006.

Holly Jones Ahead of its Locarno Festival world premiere, sales agent Outplay Films (“León”) has dropped an international trailer and poster for coming of age drama “Rivière,” an earnest take on adolescence and the way youth negotiates trauma. “Riviére,” the debut feature of Hugues Hariche, will bow in the Festival’s Cineasti del Presente strand which highlights first and second feature-film debuts from emerging directors, sometimes uncovering exceptional talent. It follows Manon (Flavie Delangle), 17, as she abruptly returns to her hometown of Belfort, France in an attempt to reconcile with her estranged father.

Aubrey Plaza, making her stage debut, and Christopher Abbott will star in an Off Broadway revival of John Patrick Shanley’s 1984 classic Danny and the Deep Blue Sea this fall, with a producing team that includes Sam Rockwell.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Becky G is a woman after my own heart — the “Mamiii” singer is a big Omar Apollo fan. “I love Omar Apollo,” the Latin music star tells me while promoting her new summer partnership with Patrón. “I adore him, and his creative mind is from another planet. I sat down with him, and it’s like, ‘Just talk. Please let it all out. Word vomit!’” Becky is also very into “What Was I Made For?,” Billie Eilish’s song on the “Barbie” soundtrack. “I’m obsessed with it,” she says. “It came in hot, poppin’. But I also love Billie in general. She’s incredible. She’s someone who kind of, like myself, started off very young in the industry. She’s such a beautiful soul, and I love the way she expresses herself.”

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Movistar Plus+, the pay TV/VOD service of Spanish telco giant Telefonica, is relaunching from Aug. 1, bowing a new souped-up version of its basic tier as a streaming service to clients of any telco service in Spain, Movistar announced Friday.  To date, only clients of Telefonica telephony service Movistar could access the Movistar Plus+ TV service. Priced at €11 ($12.21) a month and €14 ($15.54) for non-Movistar clients – compared to Netflix’s basic and standard tiers of €7.99 ($8.87) and €12.99 ($14.42) in Spain – the new-look Movistar Plus+ will offer in exclusivity as star attractions Movistar original series and films, as well as big foreign shows and movies, at the rate of a movie premiere every day, and, crucially, two LaLiga and one Champions League game every round of matches. 

Real Housewives of Orange County star Gina Kirschenheiter is peeling back the oranges on her friendships with her fellow Housewives.

EXCLUSIVE: Samara Weaving is set to star in the 20th Century heist thriller Eenie Meanie with Shawn Simmons directing. Simmons also penned the script with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick producing. Sources tell Deadline the project will likely premiere on Hulu.

Controversial soccer star Megan Rapinoe said today she will retire at the end of the year. The announcement comes on the eve of the women’s World Cup.

The success-is-the-best-revenge tour continues for Ariana Madix: She’s going to compete on Dancing with the Stars now.