Shruti Haasan to Headline BFI-Backed Indo-U.K. Co-Production ‘Chennai Story’ (EXCLUSIVE)

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. 

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Anonymous Content and Spain’s Morena Films, behind box office breakouts “Cell 211” and Champions, have named former Studiocanal executive Beatriz Campos as the managing director of their Spain-based film-TV production venture Anonymous Content España. Campos will oversee the company’s day-to-day operations working closely with David Davoli, Anonymous Content’s president of international, and Morena Films CEO Pilar Benito, Anonymous Content and Morena Films announced Monday.

Naman Ramachandran U.K.-based sales and distribution company Blue Finch Films has boarded international sales for select territories to Shudder original film “Oddity.” Written and directed by Damian McCarthy (“Caveat”), the supernatural film will have its world premiere at SXSW 2024 as part of the Midnighter section. Blue Finch will introduce the title in advance to buyers at the Berlin European Film Market (EFM). “Oddity” follows Darcy, a blind medium, who uncovers the sinister truth behind her sister’s death with the help of a frightening wooden mannequin.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Indian director and cinematographer Jatla Siddhartha has assembled several of the biggest names in world cinema in service of “In the Belly of a Tiger.” The film has its premiere next week at the Berlin Film Festival. Pitched as a blend of surreal horror and selfless love, the film is a fictionalization of reportedly real events in rural India, in which a couple arranges to be eaten by a tiger in order to ensure their family’s financial security.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Sony Pictures has acquired international distribution rights to “YOLO,” a mainland Chinese comedy film that releases in China on Saturday, the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday. The film is written, directed by and stars Jia Ling, China’s top-grossing female filmmaker. She portrays Le Ying, an unemployed woman in her thirties who still lives with her parents until one day, she meets a boxing coach (portrayed by Lei Jiayin), who just may change her life.

Julio Iglesias is ready to tell his story. Netflix revealed that they have reached an agreement with the legendary 80 year-old singer to bring his life to the screen.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Concrete Utopia,” the highly regarded drama-thriller that was South Korea’s Oscars contender and one of the biggest box office hits of 2023, has scored a streaming release in North America. Rakuten Viki, which specializes in Asian content, has licensed exclusive rights to the film in the U.S. and Canada and will begin streaming it to North American audiences from Friday.

EXCLUSIVE: Gaz Alazraki, Alisa Tager, Mark Alazraki and Moises Chiver have partnered to create Maquina Vega, a new production company with offices in Los Angeles and Mexico City, which will provide a pipeline between the English and Spanish-speaking worlds.

Naman Ramachandran Revered Indian actor and filmmaker Aparna Sen is the subject of Suman Ghosh‘s documentary “Parama: A Journey with Aparna Sen,” which has its world premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam‘s Cinema Regained strand. Sen came to notice as an actor with the “Samapti” segment in Oscar winner Satyajit Ray’s “Three Daughters” (1961). She acted in several more films by Ray and also worked with Indian cinema greats Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha and Rituparno Ghosh.

Thania Garcia The third iteration of Chicago’s Sueños Music Festival — an exclusively all-Latin music event — has announced Peso Pluma, Maluma, Ivan Cornejo and Rauw Alejandro as headliners for the two-day celebration on May 25 and 26 at Grant Park. Curated by Aaron Ampudia and Chris Den Uijl of La Familia Presenta, the Sueños lineup also includes rising acts like Xavi and Young Miko, along with Mora, Manuel Turizo, Jowell y Randy, Latin Mafia and Gabito Ballesteros, among others.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent MIAMI — Buoyed by a near celebratory inaugural edition last year – the first time many execs attending had seen one another post-Pandemic – the 2nd Content Americas neared its final bend to lift-off on Tuesday, with a bullish attendance and a market still reacting to the Netflix Corrective of 2022 when it began to measure the cost of its dramatic expansion worldwide. Delegates, as of Monday, were approaching 2,000, nearly 25% up on 2023’s 1,600. That includes 150 exhibition companies and a significant increase on buyers – 950, doubled from last year.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Ben Lobato, co-showrunner of Alice Braga-starrer “Queen of the South,” a top-three Nielsen ratings performer for USA Network, has boarded “Hot Sur,” a fast-moving thriller set up at Pablo and Juan de Dios Larraín’s Fabula and at Fremantle Mexico, the burgeoning Mexican production hub of the global production-distribution giant. Lobato will showrun the TV series, which will be helmed by Gabriel Ripstein, writer-director of acclaimed Mexican Amazon Original “An Unknown Enemy.” Shaping up as one of the biggest new projects being brought on the market at Content Americas, “Hot Sur” will be presented at Content Americas Copro Pitch on Tuesday, one of the TV market and forum’s industry centerpieces. In it, Maria Paz, an undocumented Mexican immigrant looking after her bipolar sister, becomes a fugitive after being falsely accused of murder.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Sound of Freedom,” the indie action-drama film that earned some $184 million at the North American box office, has set a significant theatrical release in South Korea. Angel Studios, the crowd-funded Utah-based production and distribution firm behind the film, initially set up direct-to-theater releases for the film’s first international outings in the U.K., Australia and Latin America. In Korea, rights have been licensed in conventional fashion by the N.E.W. – Contents Panda group, which plans to give the picture a release from Feb. 21, 2024.

Naman Ramachandran A screening of Isabel Herguera‘s San Sebastian winner “Sultana’s Dream” will kickstart the inaugural edition of AniMela, India’s first-ever international festival for animation, VFX, XR, gaming and comics, in Mumbai. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Herguera, alongside her Spanish and Indian crew, including Indian animation expert Upamanyu Bhattacharyya.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent A group of 20 prominent screen trade organizations have united to ask governments around the world to enact regulations ensuring that global streaming giants like Netflix and Disney+ invest more resources in local content. The joint plea — hailing from production bodies in Europe, Canada, Australasia and Latin America — comes as streaming services have scaled down on acquiring and commissioning local content across many markets within the last year in order to ramp up profitability.

Naman Ramachandran The 77th edition of the Edinburgh International Film Festival will feature a new competition and has revealed its 2024 dates. Competing for what EIFF describes as “industry-leading cash prizes” will be 10 features and 10 shorts, all world premieres. The festival returned for its 76th edition in 2023 following financial difficulties.

Following the success of the official opening season of Aviva Studios, Factory International has announced a captivating line up for its 2024 spring programme at the city's landmark venue.

The British Film Institute has revealed the list of TV, film, and animation companies that have won funding from its latest £3.3M ($4.2M) Global Screen Fund payout.

Naman Ramachandran Netflix has revealed a lineup of nine titles as part of its licensed Tamil-language film slate for 2024. Ajith Kumar headlines Lyca Productions’ “VidaaMuyarchi,” directed by Magizh Thirumeni. Lyca is also the company behind S.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent European production powerhouse Mediawan has bought a majority stake in Misfits, the prestige U.K. company whose anticipated documentary “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” will play at the Sundance Film Festival.