Mike Tollin’s MTP and LaLiga Studios to Develop Slate of Soccer-Centric Projects (EXCLUSIVE)

Naman Ramachandran Cannes 2024 was a life-changing journey for Indian production designer-turned actor Anasuya Sengupta who won best actress at the festival’s Un Certain Regard strand for “The Shameless.” Sengupta made her acting debut alongside several of her friends in Anjan Dutt’s music-themed “Madly Bangali” (2009) and served as director’s assistant to Claire McCarthy in Australian production “The Waiting City” the same year. Kolkata native, Sengupta then moved to Mumbai, home to the vast Bollywood industry. She wasn’t impressed by Bollywood and became a noted production designer and artist instead.

The Apprentice” in an effort to block its U.S. sale and release. It warns the team behind the film not to pursue a distribution deal, according to two people who have read the letter.

Lexi Carson Subject Matter, the nonprofit organization that supports social issues and documentary films and other nonprofits focused on the same causes, announced its grantees “I’m Your Venus” and House Lives Matter will be awarded a total of $50,000 at the 2024 Tribeca Festival. A $25,000 grant will go to the team behind “I’m Your Venus.” Directed by Kimberly Reed and produced by Steven Cantor, Jamie Schutz and Mike Stafford, “I’m Your Venus” is “a moving and timely documentary that follows the unsolved murder of Venus Xtravaganza, star of the legendary ‘Paris Is Burning’ as Venus’ two families — biological and ballroom — come together to seek answers and celebrate her legacy,” reads the official logline.

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie's unwavering support for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could hinder their chances of assuming larger roles within the Royal Family, according to an expert.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Rolling off their partnership on Studiocanal’s “‘Mayhem!” (“Farang”) and Netflix hit movie “Watch Under Paris,” popular genre filmmaker Xavier Gens (“Gangs of London”) is joining forces with Vincent Roget and Eric Lavaine’s banner Sameplayer to launch a new production company. Named Good Players, the Paris-based company will aim at developing and producing action, thriller, aventure, fantasy and horror movies that have an international appeal.

Callum McLennan Ari Aster and his producing partner Lars Knudsen have boarded Chile’s Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña’s new film “Hansel & Gretel” as executive producers through their company, Square Peg. The Chilean duo’s feature “The Hyperboreans” forms part of Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight.

Naman Ramachandran Sandhya Suri’s fiction feature debut “Santosh,” which bows in the Cannes Film Festival‘s Un Certain Regard strand, has unveiled its first clip. In the film, a government scheme sees newly widowed Santosh inherit her slain husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of northern India.

When Hayao Miyazaki’s long-awaited and supposed swansong The Boy and the Heron opened at No. 1 at the North American box office last December with a record-breaking $12.8 million tally, it was not only the first original anime title to achieve such a feat, but it was the biggest ever opening for U.S. distributor Gkids. It kickstarted what would be a whirlwind few months for the now 16-year-old company as it took the Studio Ghibli film, (which had opened the Toronto Film Festival in September) to an enormous $46.7 million box office gross (more than double their initial projections) in North America and, later a Best Animation win at the Oscars.

Annika Pham Maverick Icelandic scribe Sjón, Oscar-nominated for the lyrics of Lars von Trier’s “Dancer in the Dark” and co-writer of the eerie Cannes Un Certain Regard title “Lamb,” has teamed up with multi-awarded Swedish-Costa-Rican Nathalie Álvarez-Mesén (“Clara Sola”) on her sophomore feature “The Wolf Will Tear Your Immaculate Hands,”, Variety has learned. The English-language gothic period drama is backed by Hobab’s Nima Yousefi, Swedish co-producer on this year’s Cannes competition entry “The Apprentice” and Critics’ Week’s “Julie Keeps Quiet”.

Christopher Vourlias Nigerian Afrobeat megastar Burna Boy and fast-rising South African filmmaker Mandla Dube are among the names headlining the new slate from Black Mic Mac, the production banner championing African and Middle Eastern talent that was launched last year by production and sales vet Pape Boye and Logical Pictures. The line-up includes close to a dozen films and television series from both emerging and established talents that showcase the range of dynamic voices the region has to offer.

Naman Ramachandran A short film fund aimed at championing female and non-binary filmmakers led by “Doctor Who” star Jodie Whittaker has unveiled its first project winner at the Cannes Film Festival. At Cannes 2023, women’s and non-binary visibility platform Primetime and Bournemouth Film School’s Funding Futures unveiled an initiative to spotlight women and non-binary filmmakers.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor The Emmy race just got a bit more spicy. Three popular YouTube web series have found their content creators taking a chance on themselves, which could significantly impact the Emmy race in some categories. The spicy chicken wing interview series Hot Ones, hosted by Sean Evans, has successfully petitioned to be included in the outstanding talk series category.

Naman Ramachandran Glasgow-based Momentum Films, led by producer Rakasree Basu (“Iqbal and the Jewel of India”), has officially launched at the Cannes Film Festival‘s market. The company is focusing on developing original stories by converging the Scottish and the South Asian cinematic landscapes across feature films, high end television and narrative documentaries. Momentum has an under-production film “Adrift,” which was shot in Tamil Nadu, southern India, and is currently in post-production.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Tubi hired Mike Bidgoli, a six-year veteran of internet giant Meta, as chief product and technology officer for the Fox-owned free streaming service. Bidgoli, who reports to CEO Anjali Sud, will be responsible for leading the product and engineering teams overseeing the product experience and innovation strategy for Tubi.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent “The Substance,” Coralie Fargeat’s buzzy horror movie starring Margaret Qualley and Demi Moore, has sold to one of France’s biggest distributors, Metropolitan FilmExport, ahead of its world premiere in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. The Match Factory is handling international sales on the female-powered movie, and MUBI just acquired the rights in North America, U.K., Ireland, Germany, Austria, Latin America and Benelux, where they will release the film theatrically this year. MUBI has also acquired the movie for Turkey and India.

“Dark Matter” tour earlier this month, but their May 4 gig wasn’t without drama.Around two-thirds of the way through their 25-song set list, McCready appeared to be feeling the music too much as he plummeted from the stage during his solo.In footage shared by a fan in the audience, the musician can be seen taking a tumble from the stage — leaving his Gibson Les Paul guitar up in the air.Of course, McCready didn’t let the fall ruin his solo as he continued to play it even from the ground.Moments later, a security guard rushed over to help the rocker return to the stage.Luckily, McCready appeared unscathed by the incident as he flashed a smile and carried on like nothing happened.Fans took to social media to give props to the rocker for not skipping a beat.“A true professional,” one fan wrote on X, while another added, “Didn’t miss a chord.”The band is taking their new record “Dark Matter” on the road for their summer tour that is sure to send the grunge rockers to arenas all over North America.That includes a pair of back-to-back concerts at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, Sept. 3 and Wednesday, Sept.

Emily Longeretta The cast of “One Tree Hill” will reunite for an upcoming charity basketball game to benefit the V Foundation for cancer research. Fans can watch the game via a live stream on “House of Highlights,” a leading TNT sports brand. On May 18, Friends With Benefit Charity Events will reunite the cast “One Tree Hill” basketball team for a game at Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina — the gym the Tree Hill Ravens played at in the show and the court where Michael Jordan played high school basketball.

EXCLUSIVE: After clinching the Grand Prix at Cannes in 2019 with her debut fiction feature Atlantics, French-Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop had one burning desire. 

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events Jeremy Strong could be joining Jeremy Allen White in “Deliver Me From Nowhere,” the 20th Century Studios movie about Bruce Springsteen and the making of his 1982 album, “Nebraska.” The “Succession” star is in talks to play Springsteen’s (White) longtime manager Jon Landau in the Scott Cooper-directed feature. Cooper is also writing the film, which is based on Warren Zane’s 2023 book “Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska.” “Nebraska,” the follow-up to Springsteen’s 1980 double album “The River,” was expected to be a blockbuster rock record with the E Street Band.

EXCLUSIVE: The grades are in and the film and TV studios taking part in BAFTA albert’s climate assessment have upped their game in the past year.