Werner Herzog Leads Film Accelerator in Spain, Voice Acts in Bong Joon Ho’s Upcoming Animated Feature (EXCLUSIVE)

Annika Pham In a move to consolidate its bullishly expanding audiovisual industry, Spain’s Canary Islands have just scrapped a prior €50 million ($53.5 million) cap on total annual tax incentives tapped by movies and series shooting in the archipelago. Announced April 30, the ground-breaking measure was applauded by local industry heavyweights who have been lobbying national and regional authorities, “This couldn’t be better news for the Canarian audiovisual sector, and by extension, for the Spanish audiovisual sector,” said Rubén Zarauza, president of the Audiovisual Cluster of the Canary Islands, and co-head of Amuse Studios, the Spanish branch of France’s Amuse Animation group.

Ryan Gosling is taking advantage of the spotlight to support Eva Mendes’ new book. Over the past few weeks, Gosling has been doing some press work for his new film, “Fall Guy.” In new videos, Gosling is seen wearing a T-shirt that reads “Desi, Mami and the Never-Ending Worries,” which is the title of Mendes new kids’ book, which is coming out later this year. Eva Mendes shares moving tribute for her late brother CarlosEva Mendes cheers Ryan Gosling’s hilarious ‘SNL’ Cuban skitThe interview features Gosling and his co-star Emily Blunt discussing all sorts of topics, from Taylor Swift, to their new film.

Greta Gerwig has her jury. This evening, the Cannes Film Festival revealed the rest of the nine-member jury filled with festival veterans and Academy members.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent European powerhouse Mediawan has acquired Leonine, a leading production and distribution group active in German-speaking markets. With the acquisition of Leonine, Mediawan will boast a portfolio of 85 labels, a catalogue spanning 30,000 hours of premium content and revenues exceeding €1.3 billion ($1.4 billion). Mediawan‘s worth is now believed to be in the $2-billion range.

Carolyn Giardina “The Imaginary,” an upcoming hand-drawn animated fantasy film from Japan’s Studio Ponoc that will play in competition at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival, is set to debut July 5 on Netflix. An Oscar-qualifying run is also planned.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent “Barren Land,” from Spain’s Albert Pintó, director of Netflix global blockbusters “Money Heist,” “Berlin” and “Nowhere,” have been snapped up by Spain’s Film Factory Entertainment. From an original idea by producer Alvaro Ariza, “Barren Land” (“Tierra de Nadie”) is penned by Fernando Navarro, one of Spain’s go-to screenwriters whose credits include Netflix hits “Below Zero” and “Veronica.” Film Factory will launch world sales on “Barren Land,” as it builds a powerful slate of upscale commercial packages.

We don’t often see the release of an Oscar-nominated animated movie released in theaters after the Academy Awards ceremonies had aired (there are, of course, outliers), as most studios want to capitalize on the buzz of a nomination. But “Robot Dreams” is breaking with tradition as the Spanish/French animation pic is heading to the big screen next month.

Actor Mohammed Elshehri belongs to a generation of emerging Saudi talents who first cut their teeth on YouTube and are now making their names in film and TV.

Jamie Lang “A New Dawn,” the feature debut of Yoshitoshi Shinomiya, an animator on Makoto Shinkai’s blockbuster “Your Name,” is one draw in a five-title Annecy Animation Showcase which involves producers of real impact on the global independent animation scene. The showcase will unveil a second brand-new animation project, “Mu-Ki-Ra,” co-produced by “Unicorn Wars” backer Abano Producións.

Jamie Lang Colombian producer Letrario and Spain’s Abano Producións have unveiled a new 2D animated feature co-production, “Mu-Ki-Ra,” which will be spotlighted at the 2024 Cannes’ Marché du Film Animation Day. “Mu-Ki-Ra” was created by Colombian actress and screenwriter Estefanía Piñeres Duque, who co-wrote the screenplay with María Barro Guntín and is directing.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Two of France’s fastest-rising young stars, Lyna Khoudri (“Papicha,” “The French Dispatch”) and Rio Vega ( “Deerskin,” “Sorry Angel”), will lead the French voice cast of animated feature “In Waves,” an unconditional first love story, and tale of loss and memories adapting American illustrator AJ Dungo’s same-titled multi-prized graphic novel. An anticipated banner prestige animation title from Paris-based Silex Films (“The Lost Boys,” “This is My Mother”), “In Waves” lead producer, the feature also marks the first animated co-production of both Anonymous Content (“The Revenant,” “Spotlight”) and Charades, behind sales of Jeremy Clapin’s “I Lost My Body” and Mamoru Hosoda’s “Mirai,” both Oscar nominated titles.

Anna Marie de la Fuente In a triumphant night for Spain, J.A. Bayona’s Oscar-nominated “Society of the Snow” swept the top prizes at Platino Xcaret, named after the venue of the annual Platino Awards this year, which took place at the Xcaret Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Award-winning Colombian director-producer Simon Brand and Miami-based media executive producer Daniel Eilemberg have joined forces with the founders of Emmy-winning Imaginer Films, Julio César and Laura Franco, to launch Clover Studios, a new production services company in Colombia. The new enterprise is in response to Colombia’s phenomenal growth as a major production center, driven by its competitive production incentives and flourishing creative community.

EXCLUSIVE: UK sales outfit SC Films International has acquired world rights to Australian comedy The Way, My Way and will launch sales at the upcoming Cannes market. 

Netflix has released information on two Spanish features it has punished into production including the political thriller Un Fantasma en la Batalla produced by Society of Snow filmmaker J.A. Bayona. 

Next year, we’ll witness a unique venture from Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho (known for his Best Picture-winning “Parasite”) as he returns to the sci-fi genre with his upcoming film “Mickey 17.” featuring the talented duo Robert Pattinson and Mark Ruffalo. But that’s not all the South Korean filmmaker is cooking up.

Lise Pedersen Berlinale Forum entry “Shahid,” the debut feature of Iranian-German filmmaker Narges Kalhor, has been picked up by Prague-based doc specialist Filmotor ahead of its premiere at Swiss documentary festival Visions du Réel, where it is competing in the more experimental Burning Lights section. Described by Kalhor as a collective work between herself and other artists, including a costume artist and a painter from Iran, a German music composer and a choreographer from Berlin, “Shahid” shifts playfully between genres, challenging conventional filmmaking rules.

At Bizarrap’s Friday night performance at The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, superstar Shakira surprised concertgoers with a performance of La Fuerte as well as their hit, Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Dave Bautista and Eric Nam are set to headline the voice cast for the upcoming “Avatar: The Last Airbender” movie in development at Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Studios. The film’s working title is “Aang: The Last Airbender.” The news was announced during Paramount’s slate presentation at CinemaCon. Joining Bautista and Nam in the voice cast are Dionne Quan, Jessica Matten and Roman Zaragoza.

Robert Pattinson is stepping out for his first official appearance as a new dad!