Austria Showbiz Latest News and Updates

AC/DC have re-released all of their LPs on gold vinyl in celebration of their 50th anniversary as a band.The legendary rock band formed in 1973 and played their first gig on December 31 of that year at the Chequers Nightclub in Sydney, Australia. Half a century later, the band still remain as strong and influential as ever.In celebration of their 50th anniversary as a band, AC/DC are set to release limited edition gold vinyl pressings of their entire album catalogue.

Rafa Sales Ross Guest Contributor Industry executives, creatives and international buyers came together to preview an exclusive selection of upcoming high-end German series at the Up Next: Germany showcase at the Berlinale Series Market, the dedicated serial content arm of the EFM running between Feb. 19-21. Four projects were selected for the showcase: Dystopian drama “A Better Place” imagines the aftermath of a revolutionary state-led program that eradicates all German prisons.

Mubi has snapped up rights across multiple territories on Made In England: The Films Of Powell And Pressburger, the Martin Scorsese-narrated doc set to debut this week at the Berlin Film Festival. 

Alex Ritman ‘Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger,’ the documentary produced and narrated by Matin Scorsese, has been acquired by Mubi ahead of the film’s world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival. The arthouse streamer, distributor and production company has bought all rights for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Latin America, Turkey and India.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Playtime has had a busy EFM, where it’s locked a raft of major deals on “The Devil’s Bath,” a period psychological thriller in competition at the Berlin Film Festival. “The Devil’s Bath” is directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, the Austrian filmmaking duo behind “Goodnight Mommy.” Set in rural Austria in 1750, “The Devil’s Bath” stars Anja Plaschg, the up-and-coming singer and composer known as Soap & Skin. Plaschg plays Agnes, a young married woman who feels oppressed in her husband’s world, which is devoid of emotions and limited to chores and expectations.

Harrison Ford left behind something more than his toothbrush when he departed a London rental.

Filmmaking duo Veronika Franz And Severin Fiala, best known Goodnight Mommy, which was Austria’s 2014 entry for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, and the Riley Keough-led The Lodge, have signed on to direct the horror feature A Head Full of Ghosts. Production is set to begin later this year.

Naman Ramachandran “A Head Full of Ghosts,” an adaptation of Paul Tremblay’s Bram Stoker Award-winning novel, will be directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala. The horror feature will be adapted and directed by Franz and Fiala, the filmmaking duo best known for horror-thriller hit, “Goodnight Mommy,” which was selected as Austria’s 2014 Oscar entry, and the Riley Keough-led “The Lodge,” which premiered at Sundance and was acquired by Neon in 2019. Their next film, “The Devil’s Bath,” is competing for the Golden Bear at the ongoing Berlin Film Festival.

Naman Ramachandran Film and media company Buffalo 8 has acquired worldwide distribution rights to “Dig Me No Grave” from Djonny Chen’s prolific U.K.-based outfit Silent D Pictures. The deal was revealed at the Berlin European Film Market (EFM). “Dig Me No Grave” follows the harrowing journey of an ageing hunter who embarks on a final quest for an elusive elk.

What was old was extremely new on Netflix in January and even into this month.

EXCLUSIVE: HanWay Films has closed a Germany & Austria pre-sale on Berlinale competition title La Cocina with SquareOne Entertainment.

Paramount+ has set Thursday, April 4 for the premiere of the fifth and final season of Star Trek: Discovery. The first two episodes of the 10-episode final season will debut exclusively on the service in the U.S., the UK, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. It will also premiere on April 4 on P+ in Canada. New episodes will drop weekly following the premiere. The streamer also released key art for the final season (see below).

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Star Trek: Discovery” has a premiere date for Season 5, which will also be the show’s last. The fifth and final season of the series will premiere with two episodes on April 4 on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, Austria, and Canada. New episodes will then drop weekly on Thursdays.

Former Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick could be in line for a top job at Barcelona, despite enduring a tough spell at Old Trafford. Rangnick, 65, is well-respected in Germany and has had a successful career, but his time at United proved challenging.

Caroline Brew editor “Christspiracy: The Spirituality Secret,” the follow-up to “Seaspiracy,” “Cowspiracy” and “What the Health,” will open in theaters in the U.S. for two nights of special screenings that will take place on March 20 and 24.

AC/DC have announced that a new bassist and drummer will be joining them on their 2024 UK and European stadium tour.The Australian rock legends revealed yesterday (February 12) that they will perform 21 dates in 10 countries this summer, marking their first tour in Europe for eight years.They have now confirmed that former Jane’s Addiction bassist Chris Chaney will be performing with them on the tour. Alongside core members Angus Young, Brian Johnson, and Stevie Young, Matt Laug will also be on drums after performing with the band at Power Trip festival last year in place of Phil Rudd.“We are thrilled to finally announce the ‘POWER UP’ European Tour.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Shudder, AMC Networks’ streaming service for horror films, thrillers and supernatural stories, has acquired “The Devil’s Bath,” the new film from Austrian horror auteurs Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala. The deal comes ahead of the psychological thriller’s world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it will play in competition.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor At the 2024 Super Bowl, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Usher soaked up the limelight as the Kansas City Chiefs became back-to-back champions with their overtime defeat of the San Francisco 49ers. And of course, the Super Bowl was again a venue for dozens of advertisers — who spent up to $7 million for a 30-second spot in CBS’s telecast — to try to break through on the noisiest night on TV.

EXCLUSIVE: Beta Cinema has unveiled a raft of key territory pre-sales for Joachim A. Lang’s Joseph Goebbels biopic Führer and Seducer ahead of its market premiere at the EFM this week.

AC/DC have announced a huge UK and European stadium tour for 2024 – check out the dates below.The Australian rock legends will perform 21 dates in 10 countries this summer, which will mark their first tour in Europe for eight years.The ‘Power Up‘ tour – in support of their 2020 album of the same name – will kick off in the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on May 17, followed by dates in Spain, Austria, Switzerland and more.The run also includes two dates at London’s Wembley Stadium on July 3 and 7, before they continue on to more mainland Europe dates. The tour will wrap up at Dublin’s Croke Park+ on August 17.General on sale times go live between 9-10am local time this Friday (February 16), dependant on the location.

BBC The Repair Shop's Chris Shaw fought back tears after he took on the task of repairing a Jewish prayer book that survived the Holocaust.The emotional episode aired on Wednesday, featuring Chris taking on his most 'important' challenge yet.The prayer book belonged to the grandparents of guest Gary Fisher, who lived in Vienna, Austria during the war. Gary shared the heartbreaking story of how his father was one of the 10,000 children taken to England as part of the Kindertransport in 1938, while his grandparents were unable to leave the country. In 1942, his grandparents were taken to Terezin concentration camp in Czechoslovakia.

AIR have announced new UK and European tour dates for their ‘Moon Safari’ anniversary tour, and a new deluxe reissue of the album.The classic album celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, and recently announced ‘One Night Only’ tour dates where they will play the album in its entirety for the first time.Now, they have confirmed that a deluxe reissue of the album will arrive on March 8 and feature a Spatial Dolby Atmos audio version of the original album and a series of rare and unreleased tracks.Also included in the reissue will be the 1998 tour documentary Eating, Sleeping, Waiting & Playing by Mike Mill.New dates have also been added to the ‘Moon Safari’ tour, including a second London date, which will take place at the Royal Albert Hall, and gigs in Barcelona, Paris, Berlin and Vienna.See the full updated list of tour dates below. Tickets for the Royal Albert Hall are on sale on Friday, February 2 at 10am GMT, while Barcelona, Germany and Austria tickets are on sale now.

A man from Wigan who started driving to AUSTRALIA in a truck with only his dog for company found love just a fortnight into his trip. Bobby Bolton, 31, fell head over heels after meeting a 'good looking' French woman on a hilltop in Saint-Tropez.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent By now, even the most hardcore fans of French cuisine and “Chocolat” star Juliette Binoche can agree that Justine Triet‘s “Anatomy of a Fall” – rather than Tran Anh Hung’s “The Taste of Things” — was the one movie that could have given France its first Oscar win for best international feature in over 30 years, since Régis Wargnier’s “Indochine.” Over the last three decades, a number of French movies have earned Oscar recognition, but none have been the official French Oscar submission. Michael Haneke’s “Amour” earned five Oscar noms in 2013 and even won the best foreign-language Oscar but it represented Austria.

Sarah Ferguson has broken her silence on her heartbreaking skin cancer diagnosis.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Playtime has boarded “The Devil’s Bath,” a period psychological thriller directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, the Austrian filmmaking duo behind the critical and commercial hit “Goodnight Mommy.” The movie reteams Franz and Fiala with Ulrich Seidl, who also produced “Goodnight Mommy.” Set in rural Austria in 1750, “The Devil’s Bath” stars Anja Plaschg, the up-and-coming singer and composer known as Soap & Skin. Plaschg plays Agnes, a young married woman who feels oppressed in her husband’s world which is devoid of emotions and limited to chores and expectations. A pious and highly sensitive woman, Agnes falls into a deep depression, before committing a shocking act of violence that she sees as the only way out of her inner prison.

Alkaline Trio have announced a UK and European summer tour for 2024 – find details below and purchase tickets here.The US rock band are set to perform throughout July and August, kicking off their UK stint at Newcastle’s Boiler Shop on July 22. From there, they’ll continue on to Nottingham, London, Manchester and more, before concluding at Glasgow’s O2 Academy on July 30.The European run will start on August 4 at Love Music Hall in Cologne, followed by shows in Berlin, Wels in Austria and Munich.Tickets go on sale Friday (January 26) at 10am GMT, and you can purchase yours here.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The Match Factory has secured the rights for Berlinale Competition title “Dying,” by German director Matthias Glasner. Wild Bunch will be distributing the film in Germany, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland. Glasner credits include Golden Bear nominees “Gnade” (2012) and “Der Freie Wille” (2006).

The Match Factory has acquired world sales rights to Berlinale Golden Bear contender Dying by German director Matthias Glasner.

Sarah Ferguson, 64, has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of skin cancer just six months after undergoing a successful operation to treat breast cancer.The latest health battle to rock the royals comes after Fergie, 64, had several moles removed from her body, one of which tested as a malignant melanoma - the most serious form of skin cancer that can spread to other areas of the body. Despite being in "good spirits" the Duchess of York has understandably found her second cancer diagnosis within six months "distressing." A spokesman for Sarah, Duchess of York said: "Following her diagnosis with an early form of breast cancer this summer, Sarah, Duchess of York has now been diagnosed with malignant melanoma.