Serbia Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Ukraine has attacked HBO after The White Lotus cast Miloš Biković, a Serbian actor who has voiced his admiration for Russia and accepted a medal from Vladimir Putin.

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.

A doctor who performed weight loss surgery in Turkey on a young woman who then died has denied any wrongdoing.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor WILLA, Astrakan Film and Cold Iron Pictures are set to join Argonauts Productions to produce “The Boy With the Light Blue Eyes,” a coming-of-age queer Greek tragedy. Written by Thanasis Neofotistos and Grigoris Skarakis, and to be directed by Neofotistos as his debut feature, “The Boy With the Light Blue Eyes” follows teenager Peter as he navigates the suffocating confines of his superstitious and traditional Greek village community. Peter is born with light blue eyes in a village that considers them a threat, but only his mother knows.

An overweight woman who was bullied for years about her size has died after botched weight loss surgery in Turkey.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba will be coming to the big screen, along with a sneak peek at the new season.Described as an extra-sized blockbuster experience, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Hashira Training- will allow fans to revisit the finale of the Swordsmith Village Arc while also getting a glimpse at the highly anticipated Hashira Training Arc (season four).The upcoming event marks the first time the finale of the Swordsmith Village Arc has ever been shown in cinemas, and also the first-ever showing of the Hashira Training Arc‘s beginning.Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Hashira Training- will screen in UK cinemas from February 23.

A penny for Altay Bayindir’s thoughts.

The European Film Academy has unveiled its new board which has been voted in under updated guidelines aimed at ensuring a more balanced geographical representation of its members.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The Berlin Film Festival, which runs Feb. 15-25, has revealed the lineup of its Berlinale Co-Production Market.

British actor Oliver Trevena takes the December 2023 cover of Vogue Hombre Mexico.

John Bleasdale Guest Contributor South Korean director Hong Sang-soo was awarded the El Gouna Gold Star for best narrative film for his meditation on art and relationships, “In Our Day,” as the delayed edition of the El Gouna Film Festival held its closing ceremony on Thursday. The Italian animated film “A Greyhound of a Girl,” directed by Enzo D’Alò, and the Brazilian director Guto Parente’s “A Strange Path” picked up the Silver and Bronze Stars respectively.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor European Film Promotion and the Arab Cinema Center have revealed the final three nominees for the fifth edition of the Arab Critics’ Awards for European Films after the jury viewed 25 films from as many European countries in the shortlist. Due to the postponement of this year’s edition of the Cairo Film Festival, which hosted the awards ceremony in previous years, the announcement of the winning film will take place during the sixth edition of the El Gouna Film Festival, which is scheduled to run from Dec.

Former Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic ran for presidency of the Serbian FA earlier this year after criticising the current regime.

Six years ago, producer Ivana Mikovic was sitting with her production designer friend when the two discussed the lack of studio space in Serbia’s growing film and television sector. It was a year after the government had introduced its 25% – 30% cash rebate and Mikovic, a former BBC news producer, saw a gap in the market for such a studio facility. At the time there were only a handful of stages in the surrounding Belgrade area – including PFI Studios and Take 1 – but they consistently ran at capacity. 

As producers across the globe continue to feel the effects of inflation on their budgets, a growing number of European countries have been seeking to alleviate some of that budget squeeze as they battle it out to entice foreign projects to shoot on their home turf. One front runner in this race is Serbia, which has been quietly establishing itself as a trusted and attractive destination for global producers. 

The cast of Asacha Media’s Spanish-Serbian thriller series Scar (Cicatriz) has taken shape.

Every November, the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival embraces the cold of the coming winter, Estonia’s capital shining bright in the darkness of night, showcasing the latest the Baltics and beyond can offer. Each year, for over two weeks, the annual festival, now in its 27th year, offers up hundreds of features and shorts presenting them to both the international press and the cinema-going public. Nearly ten years ago, the festival was awarded A-class status, which puts it alongside the likes of Berlin, Cannes, Venice, Karlovy Vary, Warsaw, and San Sebastian. For the past few years, we’ve been invited along to sample its many delights.This year, the festival played host to 185 feature films from 73 different countries, including 51 world premieres and 24 international premieres, distributed among 5 competitive programmes and 14 side programmes.

The Peasants would already be a daunting project in the best of times. Like their previous film, Loving Vincent, directors Hugh and DK Welchman oversaw a team of animators painting each frame of the film based on live-action reference material. Hugh, who came to Los Angeles from Poland just for his 12-minute Contenders panel, said The Peasants also had to work around COVID and the Ukraine War.

Focus Features has set a Jan. 26, 2024 theatrical release date for Goran Stolevski’s latest, Housekeeping For Beginners.

Novak Djokovic has plenty to celebrate about. The Serbian tennis player concluded his 2023 tennis season in the number one spot in tennis, marking his eight time reaching this milestone. He shared a video of himself dancing and in a good mood, tagging all of his collaborators in recognition.Vanessa Bryant praises Djokovic’s Kobe Bryant tribute after he won his 24th Grand SlamRafa Nadal explains how he ‘disconnected’ from everything this past yearA post shared by Novak Djokovic (@djokernole)The clip shows Djokovic recording himself with the front facing camera as he dances along to “Guantanamera,” a Cuban song that’s been popular for decades, with its first release dating back to 1929.

Christopher Vourlias HBO Max has acquired Central and Eastern Europe rights to “I Know Your Soul,” the crime drama series by Oscar-nominated Bosnian filmmaker Jasmila Žbanić (“Quo Vadis, Aida?”). The show, which world premiered at the Venice Film Festival, is currently playing as part of the Agora Series TV strand of the Thessaloniki Film Festival. Also included in the deal, which was brokered by Munich-based production and distribution outfit Beta Film, is the Serbian thriller “Children of Evil,” based on the best-selling novel by Miodrag Majić.

John Bleasdale Guest Contributor As the Black Nights Film Festival in Tallinn, Estonia, prepares for its 27th edition, Variety spoke with artistic director Tiina Lokk about its ambitions and coming highlights. “If you see the festival like a big building, then all the walls are in and the building is ready, but some rooms are not furnished yet,” Lokk says, before adding philosophically.

Liza Foreman Spanish public broadcaster RTVE, Prime Video and Telekom Srbija have boarded “Cicatriz,” a high-end action thriller, based on the best-selling Spanish novel of the same name by Juan Gómez-Jurado. It is a first, large-scale co-production between Spain and the Adriatic countries, the partners said. Spanish powerhouse Plano a Plano and Mexico’s Dopamine will produce, in collaboration with Asacha Media Group and Adrenalin.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Causeway Films, the Australian film production house behind recent breakout “Talk to Me,” has opened a U.K. operation. The company has hired Daniel Negret, formerly of Head Gear Films, as its CEO. Causeway Films was established by producers Kristina Ceyton and Samantha Jennings in 2014, launching with Jennifer Kent’s Sundance hit “The Babadook.” It followed that by producing Kent’s follow up feature “The Nightingale,” which won the special jury prize at the Venice Film Festival in 2019. Innovative horror film, “Talk to Me,” from filmmaking duo Danny and Michael Philippou screened in Sundance, Berlin and SXSW 2023 and was acquired by A24.

England Under-21s are aiming to keep their winning record in Group F going with a victory over Serbia tonight as they push to qualify for the European Championships.

Rammstein have added a Dublin show to their 2024 European tour – you can find all the details below.The industrial metal band are due to embark on a run of huge stadium gigs next May. Stop-offs are scheduled for Prague, Barcelona, Lyon, Copenhagen and more cities throughout that month and into the summer.In the middle of the tour, Rammstein will perform at the RDS Arena in Dublin, Ireland on June 23, 2024.Tickets for the upcoming dates go on general sale at 10am BST/11am CET next Wednesday (October 18).

Naman Ramachandran A total of 39 European companies, surpassing 2022, will promote and sell films from the continent at Busan International Film Festival‘s accompanying Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM). Of these, 32 will be onsite while seven more will participate online.

Pep Guardiola says Bernardo Silva was injured as he was substituted in the first half of Manchester City's Champions League win over Crvena Zvezda on Tuesday.

Manchester City are the Champions League holders and they kick-off their defence of the trophy against Crvena Zvezda at the Etihad Stadium tonight.