Lithuania Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Lithuania filmmaker Vytautas Katkus’s debut feature project The Visitor won the top €6,000 Artekino International Award at the Les Arcs Coproduction Village on Tuesday.

EXCLUSIVE: Paris-based Totem Films has signed world sales rights to Lithuanian filmmaker Marija Kavtaradze’s second feature Slow ahead of its world premiere in Sundance.

NBCUniversal Global Distributor has struck an old school multi-year content deal in Europe’s Baltic region.

Bonobo has shared his latest single ‘Defender’ – you can listen to the new track below.The song follows on from the musician, producer and DJ’s surprise single ‘ATK’, which arrived last month and was, according to Simon Green, “aimed more at the dancefloor”.Released via the artist’s label OUTLIER (in partnership with Ninja Tune), both ‘Defender’ and ‘ATK’ are set to be physically released on hand-stamped and numbered white label vinyl (limited to 1500 units) later this month – you can pre-order your copy here.Listen to Bonobo’s song ‘Defender’ in the below visualiser.Bonobo will perform at Printworks in London on November 19, marking his final UK live date of 2022.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Dollhouse Pictures, production company founded by Krew Boylan, Rose Byrne, Jessica Carrera, Shannon Murphy and Gracie Otto, is to produce “Devotion,” a book-to-film adaptation of Hannah Kent’s bestselling novel of the same title. The production is in partnership with production and finance firm Storyd.

Brent Lang Executive Editor UFC Strawweight Champion Rose Namajunas’s life story will be the subject of “Thug Rose: Mixed Martial Artist,” a new documentary that will debut at the Austin Film Festival before premiering on Fight Pass, the combat sport’s official streaming service. The film was produced by UFC, which hopes it will be the first of many such projects. “We want to do as many these as we possibly can,” Crowley Sullivan, vice president and general manager of Fight Pass, told Variety. “Throughout the history of this sport there are all kinds of personalities and accomplishments that we want to highlight. There are so many stories of athletes rising from modest beginnings to become iconic figures that we want to tell.”

Liza Foreman CANNES  — TV series “Agatha Christie’s Hjerson” has been picked up by streamer Topic for North America and by the Australian channel SBS, ZDF Studios announced Tuesday at Cannes Mipcom trade fair.  “Agatha Christie’s Hjerson” is being sold as both a 45-minute series and four feature-length stories.  Topic has taken exclusive rights for the U.S. and Canada. SBS, a multicultural Australian broadcaster, has also closed an exclusive deal for the drama series. Additionally, ZDF Studios has licensed the program to VOD platforms  Google Play, iTunes, Amazon, Deutsche Telekom and Huawei for German speaking territories, as well as Germany’s public broadcaster, ZDF. 

Coolio's hit track 'Gangsta's Paradise' has returned to the charts in the aftermath of his death. The rapper passed away aged 59 after being found unresponsive at a friend's house in Los Angeles on September 28 and news of his loss sent shockwaves around the world, with many fans revisiting the classic 1995 single which made him a household name. It's now been revealed the song has returned to the charts across the globe, with Billboard.

Coolio, has re-entered the charts for the first time in over 25 years following the rapper’s death last month.Per Billboard, the multi-Platinum song has re-entered both its Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and its Hot Rap Songs chart. It currently appears at Number 16 on the former chart, while charting even higher up at Number 11 on the latter.

EXCLUSIVE: German TV dramas are continuing to sell internationally ahead of Mipcom Cannes.

Daily Mail reported that his body was found in the Russian city of Krasnodar on Friday (September 30).Petunin had already served in the Russian Army, but his request for a deferment because of mental illness was not granted. Walkie had released 10 albums since his 2015 debut, his most recent was “Walk Out Boy 3.” As of Monday, his most popular song on Spotify has nearly 2 million streams.Since President Vladimir Putin announced the draft on Sept.

Rammstein have filed a motion legally forbidding secondary ticket retailer Viagogo from reselling tickets to their upcoming European tour.Earlier this month, the German metallers announced plans for a European stadium tour next year. The band will hit the road on May 22, 2023 kicking off at Vingio Parkas in Lithuania before moving on to dates in Germany, Spain, Holland and France.

The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) has teased 100 films that will be showcased in its 35th edition, running November 9–20

Manori Ravindran International Editor European training program School of Film Advancement (SOFA), which aims to strengthen regional film industries across Europe with a focus on Eastern partnership, has launched its ninth edition and 2022-2023 project selection. The first SOFA workshop, running through Sept. 30, kicked off on Sunday outside the Polish capital of Warsaw. After two virtual years, the program returns with an expanded edition that comprises a line-up of 16 projects and 20 participants, composed of up-and-coming film industry executives, curators and cultural managers from 17 countries including Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Denmark, Bangladesh, Switzerland and Germany.

Robbie Williams has announced details of the European leg of his ‘XXV’ tour, which marks 25 years of his solo career.The star has already confirmed dates for the UK and Ireland stint of the tour, which will kick off in October.Now, Williams will head to the continent in January, starting the run in Bologna, Italy, on January 20. He will then call at 20 further cities.

EXCLUSIVE: French director Alice Diop’s breakout feature Saint Omer has secured distribution in a raft of territories for Paris-based Wild Bunch International (WBI) following its Venice Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize win.

FIFA+ & Others License Football Doc ‘Brazil 2002: The Real Story’

Naman Ramachandran Collective Media Group and Entourage Sports and Entertainment‘s soccer documentary feature “Brazil 2002: The Real Story,” recounting the story of the 2002 World Cup on its 20th anniversary, has sold a raft of territories worldwide. The film uses six hours of unseen archive material shot by Brazilian soccer player Juliano Belletti during the tournament, and also features interviews with Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Cafu and Gilberto Silva from the World Cup winning Brazil team; and, from the opposing teams across the tournament, David Beckham, Michael Owen, Oliver Kahn, Hasan Şaş and Marc Wilmots as well as referee Pierluigi Collina. FIFA has taken the film for its own streamer FIFA+, for territories including Asia (excluding Japan), Turkey and New Zealand. This is complemented by deals confirmed by distribution partner Abacus Media Rights including: Canal+ Group for Canal+ Foot and myCanal (France); Sky Deutschland (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg); Sky Italia (Italy, Republic of San Marino, Vatican City, Malta, Capodistria, Montecarlo and Italian speaking Switzerland); DBS Satellite Services (Israel and West Bank); Supersport Africa (for Africa); NOS Portugal (Portugal and PALOPs); Movistar Plus+ (Spain); and Stan Entertainment Pty (Australia).

Ed Meza @edmezavar France TV Distribution is ratcheting up global sales for the hit Gallic crime series “Bright Minds,” with deals ranging from Japan to the U.S., Canada and Latin America. In its third season, the show, which airs on France 2, follows a police detective who finds a brilliant partner in a young autistic woman with encyclopedic knowledge of criminal investigations who works in the police records bureau. Together, they realize their complementary skills are the key to solving cases. France TV Distribution, which is presenting its current lineup this week at the Unifrance Rendez-Vous market in Biarritz, sold the show to Japanese public broadcaster NHK, which has been airing it since July.

Rammstein have announced plans for a European stadium tour next year.The band will hit the road on May 22, 2023 kicking off at Vingio Parkas in Lithuania before moving on to dates in Germany, Spain, Holland and France. They will wrap up their mammoth jaunt at the King Baudouin Stadium in Belgium on August 4.Tickets for the shows go on sale next Thursday (September 8) at 10am local time and can be purchased here.The latest announcement comes as the band continue their US tour in Chicago tomorrow (September 3) before wrapping up in Mexico in October.

K.J. Yossman “The English” is set to get a star-studded red-carpet premiere in Cannes this October during Mipcom. Emily Blunt, Chaske Spencer and writer/director Hugo Blick are all set to attend the Oct. 16 premiere of the high-octane Western, which will open the festival. Mipcom runs from Oct. 17-20. The six-part series is set to air in November on BBC Two and iPlayer in the U.K. and on Prime Video in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand Drama Republic, a Median company, and Eight Rooks produce the show in association with All3Media, who are distributing the series. “Dancing With The Stars” is coming to Latvia and returning to Estonia after BBC Studios upped its deal with All Media Baltics.

The man accused of killing nine-year-old Lilia Valutyte has reportedly been stabbed in prison. Deividas Skebas, 22, was allegedly attacked with a makeshift "shank" after being set upon by a group of inmates at HMP Wakefield.

The Location Managers Guild International has announced the winners of its 9th annual LMGI Awards with HBO’s Succession, Netflix’s Stranger Things and HBO Max’s Station Eleven topping the television categories, and House of Gucci and No Time To Die receiving the Motion Picture honors.

The latest piece of the international Warner Bros. Discovery management puzzle has slotted into place, as the wider reshaping of the business continues. WBD General Manager Warner Bros. Discovery CEE, Baltics and Middle East (CEE MENAT) Jamie Cooke, who took on his post in June, has unveiled his team. Senior roles have gone to the likes of Lee Hobbs and long-serving Warner Bros. sales exec Roni Patel.

Neringa Kažukauskaite Lithuanian director Ignas Miškinis is in production with his coming-of-age drama “Southern Chronicles” (Pietinia kronikas). The film is produced by Lukas Trimonis through In Script with support from the Lithuanian Film Center and the national broadcaster LRT, Film New Europe reports.“Southern Chronicles” is based on Rimantas Kmita’s novel of the same title.

tiff.net.The full list of new additions:TIFF DOCS“752 Is Not a Number,” Babak Payami | Canada“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” Laura Poitras | USA“Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On,” Madison Thomas | Canada“Casa Susanna,” Sébastien Lifshitz | France, USA“Ciné-Guerrillas: Scenes from the Labudovic Reels,” Mila Turajlic | Serbia, France, Croatia, Montenegro“The Colour of Ink,” Brian D.

France, Match Me! focuses on emerging producers. Featuring new projects from tracked auteurs – Lithuania’s Ignas Jonynas, India’s Payal Kapadia and Mexico’s Francisco Vargas – and winners at Cannes, San Sebastian and other major meets, many producers look only a title or two from full emergence. If the fulsome slates of some producers are anything to go by – DR’s Leticia Brea, Estonia’s Tallifornia and Kask Films, for instance – production is a going concern in countries outside traditional production centers. (Distribution, whether to platforms or in theaters, may be another matter).

Palaye Royale have unveiled details of an extensive European and UK tour for 2023 – check out the dates below.The band will tour from January to March and in the UK, they will play a night at London’s Brixton Academy.You can get tickets for the shows here from August 12 onwards.Palaye Royale European and UK Tour 2023:JANUARY21 – Krakow, Poland22 – Warsaw, Poland24 – Berlin, Germany26 – Copenhagen, Denmark28 – Stockholm, Sweden29 – Oslo, NorwayFEBRUARY5 – Cologne, Germany7 – Manchester, UK8 – Glasgow, UK10 – London, UK12 – Wolverhampton, UK13 – Paris, France15 – Barcelona, Spain17 – Lisbon, Portugal19 – Stuttgart, Germany20 – Zurich, Switzerland25 – Munich, GermanyMARCH1 – Vilnius Lithuania2 – Riga, Latvia3 – Tallinn, Estonia4 – Helsinki, Finland7 – Sofia, Bulgaria8 – Bucharest, Romania10 – Istanbul, TurkeyIt comes after the band recently announced the release of their fourth studio album ‘Fever Dream’, their first since 2020’s ‘The Bastards’.The band have released four singles in support of the album so far, including, its title track, ‘No Love In LA’, ‘Punching Bag’, ‘Paranoid’ and ‘Broken’.The album is out on October 28 via Sumerian Records and was made in collaboration with producer Chris Greatti, who has worked with the likes of Yungblud and Willow.Speaking about the new album recently, the band said: “Making this record felt like getting back to when we first fell in love with music.“This record is very much about self-belief and self-empowerment, and overcoming all the obstacles that life throws at you. It’s the first time we’ve really taken a hopeful approach in our music.”The band are currently playing festivals in Europe before they head on their North American from September.

The family of a nine-year-old girl who was allegedly stabbed to death while playing outside have been forced to go into hiding over fears of further attacks. Lillia Valutyte was playing with her sister outside a cafe in the English market town of Boston, Lincolnshire, when she was allegedly attacked on Thursday, July 28.

A man has been charged with the murder of a nine-year-old girl who was stabbed to death as she played in the street. Lillia Valutyte was with her five-year-old sister outside a café where their mum was working when she was attacked with a knife.