Neom’s Wayne Borg Discusses Incentivizing Producers to Bring Projects to Middle East

Andrew Wallenstein President and Chief Media Analyst At a time when the creative community is aligned on the picket lines in their disenchantment with the entertainment industry, there’s an innovative new outfit blazing a new path to creating and distributing content. Led by veterans of Disney, Warner Bros. and DreamWorks, Toonstar bills itself as a “Web3 story studio” capable of developing, producing and financing animated projects powered by the blockchain. CEO and co-founder John Attanansio sees an opening for attracting talent looking for new ways to reach an audience. Listen to the podcast here: “There are trends in Hollywood right now that, honestly, I think make it easier,” he said on the latest episode of the Variety podcast “Strictly Business.” “You can see especially what’s happening now: There are a lot of productions that are getting canceled or halted, things will sit in development for extended periods of time. It’s just getting harder and harder to get something made in the traditional system.”

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Elle Fanning (“The Great”), Christopher Abbott (“Poor Things”) and Nadia Tereszkiewicz (“The Crime is Mine”) are set to headline “The Maid of Orleans,” Sarah Elizabeth Mintz’s daring follow up to “Good Girl Jane.” Loosely inspired by Mintz’s real-life experiences, “The Maid of Orleans” will explore sexual power dynamics on and off set. Jessica Chastain’s Freckle Films (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” “George and Tammy”) is set to produce alongside Fanning’s Lewellen Pictures (“The Great,” “The Girl from Plainville”). Memento International will introduce the hot project to buyers at the Cannes Film Market. Filming is scheduled to begin early 2024 in France.

EXCLUSIVE: Paris-based sales company Charades has finalized a raft of deals with international buyers for its upcoming comedy Northern Comfort, which debuted at SXSW in March.

India’s Screenwriters Association (SWA) has expressed support for the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike and asked its members to down tools on U.S. films and series. 

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Twenty emerging producers from across Europe have been selected to take part in European Film Promotion’s promotion and networking platform Producers on the Move before and during the Cannes Film Festival. The producers who were selected for the program from nominations submitted by EFP’s member organizations are Gentian Koçi (Albania), David Bohun (Austria), Julie Esparbes (Belgium), Vanya Rainova (Bulgaria), Miljenka Čogelja (Croatia), Stelana Kliris (Cyprus), Alice Tabery (Czech Republic), Emile Hertling Péronard (Denmark), Emilia Haukka (Finland), Silvana Santamaria (Germany), Vicky Miha (Greece), Júlia Berkes (Hungary), Kathryn Kennedy (Ireland), Valon Bajgora (Kosovo), Dominiks Jarmakovičs (Latvia), Erik Glijnis (The Netherlands), Elisa Fernanda Pirir (Norway), Radu Stancu (Romania), Juraj Krasnohorský (Slovak Republic), and Julia Gebauer (Sweden).

statement posted to Twitter Tuesday. “We believe that everyone working in the film and television industry deserves to be fairly compensated for their work and receive essential benefits.”The statement comes hours after the WGA officially commenced the entertainment industry’s first strike in 15 years after the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed to reach a deal by Monday at midnight, when the most recent contract expired.“The decision was made following six weeks of negotiations with Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony under the umbrella of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP),” the WGA said in a statement Monday evening.

French Montana has announced a new film called For Khadija, a documentary on his life and a tribute to his eponymous mother, who worked multiple jobs to provide for her sons as a single parent after immigrating to the United States. The doc is directed by Mandon Lovett, executive produced by Drake and Diddy, and scheduled to premiere June 16 at the Tribeca Film Festival.

quarterly earnings report.Imax reported quarterly revenue of $86.9 million and earnings of $5.1 million or 4 cents per share on a diluted basis and 16 cents per share on an adjusted basis. That beat Wall Street projections of $77.5 million in revenue and adjusted EPS of 15 cents per share, according to analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research.

Ellise Shafer Aubrey “Drake” Graham and Sean “Diddy” Combs have signed on as executive producers of Grammy-nominated rapper French Montana’s documentary “For Khadija,” which is set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 16. Directed by Mandon Lovett, “For Khadija” follows “the unlikely rise of Moroccan-born, multi-platinum recording artist French Montana, as his single mother she sacrifices everything to raise her three young sons in the Bronx, after being abandoned by their father and left destitute,” according to the doc’s official description. “The film spans the globe as it depicts the family’s unique immigrant journey, a son’s perseverance in the face of insurmountable obstacles, and a mother’s unwavering faith — all in pursuit of the American dream.”

, a.k.a. Kate Middleton, is known for her allegiance to the court shoe—specifically, , which she has worn numerous times over the years.

‘Philomena’ Writer Martin Sixsmith Sets Next Project

Naman Ramachandran The term ‘pan India film’ is quite the rage across the country these days and four leading producers convened at the recently concluded Dakshin South India Media and Entertainment Summit in Chennai to break down the concept. Organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), southern region, the theme of the conference this year was Beyond Borders and the pan India discussion fell neatly into that remit. In recent decades, India has been a patchwork of local cinema markets, defined partly by geography and language group, and with only limited overlap or transfer between them, except for the Bollywood (Hindi-language) segment which enjoys wider releases. Change may now be afoot.

Kate Middleton seemingly has 'no anxiety' during a royal engagement after King Charles III "downgraded" her in a recent family photo.

Princess Catherine (aka Kate Middleton) and Prince William looked very much in love and happy to be together during a visit to Birmingham, England on Thursday (April 20).

or , the royal often leans on the same outfit formulas. Another one of her crucial wardrobe staples? The classic wrap dress, of course.The Prince and took the train to Birmingham today to celebrate the city’s culture, visiting the family-run restaurant Indian Streatery, as well as meeting former students from University College Birmingham and local business owners from the city’s creative industries.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles is expanding its efforts to engage the industry side of the business and in June will host its inaugural IFFLA Industry Day. The festival was founded in 2002 and, now in its third decade of operation, has pivoted to a strategy of year-round programming and events. The center piece of the IFFLA Industry Day will be a pitch competition that involves selected emerging and established film and TV writers and directors who pitch their upcoming project to a panel of executives from different sectors of the industry. The executives and a live public audience will provide feedback and heighten the sense of discovery. The winner will receive a $10,000 development grant.

Kate Middleton made a rare faux pas during a visit to an Indian restaurant in Birmingham with her husband, Prince William, to celebrate the city's diverse culture.The Princess of Wales, whose daughter Princess Charlotte will have a key role in the upcoming Coronation, was happily getting involved in the kitchen at The Indian Streatery, an authentic, family-run independent Indian restaurant, where she was given the opportunity to try a few dishes. However, the 41 year old was unaware that a bit of food became stuck in her teeth as she smiled away widely at those she was mingling with.

Alison Hammond couldn't hide her excitement as she came face to face with Royalty on Thursday afternoon at an event in Birmingham. The This Morning host, 48, beamed as she rubbed shoulders with the Prince and Princess of Wales at The Rectory in her hometown on 20 April.

Naman Ramachandran Circle Women Doc Accelerator, an exclusive training program for female-identifying documentary filmmakers, has selected the projects that will take part in its showcase as part of the Cannes Docs program of the Marché du Film 2023. For the fourth consecutive year, four alumnae of the program have the opportunity to present their works-in-progress during the Cannes Film Market. Previous winners include “Twice Colonized” by Lin Alluna, which won the Docs-In-Progress award in Cannes last year before premiering in Sundance and opening both CPH:DOX and Hot Docs; Ágnes Horváth-Szabó and Anna Nemet’s “Beauty of the Beast” (Nordisk Panorama Award 2020); and “Cent’anni” by Maja Prelog (IEFTA Docs-In-Progress Award 2021).

Callers to an Indian restaurant in Birmingham were in for a shock on Thursday afternoon as they received a Royal welcome when making their orders. Prince William and Kate Middleton were photographed laughing together as they visited Indian restaurant The Indian Streatery while in Birmingham to celebrate the city’s diverse culture.