Elsa Keslassy International Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent While artificial intelligence has been one of the biggest points of contention in the WGA and the SAG-AFTRA strikes, back in France, Newen Studios has taken a deep dive into AI to deliver daily soaps, as well as source talent and pitch projects in their own metaverse space. During Mipcom, Newen’s head of innovation, Marianne Carpentier, launched the second edition of the banner’s Meta Pitch Contest.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Unveiling a raft of international shows at Mipcom, Newen Connect‘s managing director Rodolphe Buet said the distribution arm of the TF1-owned company is seeing its business model go through “drastic changes” as it now plays a more central role in financing content. In the next two years, Buet said roughly 70% of Newen Connect’s revenues will stem from content it pre-finances and/or co-produces, rather than licensing deals.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Six airports across France, in Lille, Lyon, Nantes, Nice, Toulouse and Beauvais (near Paris), were evacuated on Wednesday for security checks following bomb threats, according to local reports. The airports were evacuated at midday after some of them received emails threatening of an attack, according to the news outlet AFP, which cited a police source. It hasn’t been determined if the threats were real, but authorities proceeded with evacuations to “clear up any doubts,” according to the AFP.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent MK2 Films has acquired a collection of films and TV series directed by Bruno Dumont, the award-winning French director behind “Life of Jesus,” “Slack Bay” and “Humanity.” The acquisition, unveiled during Mipcom Cannes, covers the bulk of the director’s work, spanning eight films and TV series including “Li’l Quinquin,” which premiered at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight. MK2 Films will represent rights to these titles in France and international markets.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Mipcom Cannes, the international TV conference, opened on a solemn note with market director Lucy Smith paying tribute to the “innocent victims in Israel and Gaza.” Smith addressed the reverberations of the Israel-Hamas conflict at the market and within the industry. Out of the 70 Israeli industry executives who had registered for Mipcom, only a few were able to attend due to the devastation brought by Hamas’ attack on Oct.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Warner Bros. Discovery will be launching its streaming service Max in France, one of its top European markets, next summer, Variety has learned. The launch in France will follow a rollout in Northern and Eastern Europe, which is expected to be unveiled by Gerhard Zeiler, president of international at Warner Bros.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Sarah Jessica Parker is set to executive produce “Front Row,” a gripping documentary feature following a group of talented Ukrainian ballet dancers. Directed by Miriam Guttmann, the award-winning filmmaker of “Seeds of Deceit,” the documentary is produced by Scenery (“Human Playground”), a joint venture with Banijay Benelux. Parker and Alison Benson are exec producing via Pretty Matches Productions, alongside The Ruderman Foundation.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent France has banned pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country in the aftermath of Hamas’ terror attack in Israel which killed at least 1,200 people. Amid a rise in antisemitic incidents since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, the French government has also demanded that local prefects tighten security around Jewish schools, synagogues and other sites.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Broadcasters in France, Germany and Italy have joined forces on “The Emperor’s Stone: The Search of La Buse’s Treasure,” a family adventure series which will be produced under the Alliance, a partnership formed in 2018 by leading European pubcasters to finance ambitious, internationally-driven series. Commissioned by France Télévisions, ZDF and RAI, “The Emperor’s Stone: The Search of La Buse’s Treasure” won the call for projects launched in 2022 by the Alliance.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Ayelet Arnin, a 22-year news editor who worked at Israel’s main broadcaster Kan, was among the 200 civilians killed by Hamas terrorists while attending a rave party in the country’s southern region on Saturday. Arnin, who was reportedly an American citizen, was reported dead by her friend who was with her at the party and informed her parents. Kan News Division spokesman Elon Baruch said in a statement Wednesday, “The Israel Broadcasting Corporation is saddened by the murder of our friend, Ayelet Arnin, an employee of the corporation, a sub-editor in the news division, in an attack by Hamas terrorists in the south.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Bille August, the two-time Palme d’Or winning director of “Pelle the Conqueror,” is directing a sprawling English language series adapted from Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel “The Count of Monte Cristo” starring an international cast led by Sam Claflin (“Peaky Blinders”). “The Count of Monte Cristo” marks the first series which is entirely produced within Mediawan and represented by its distribution arm Mediawan Rights.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Bertrand Bonello‘s “The Beast,” a dystopian romance drama starring Lea Seydoux (“No Time to Die”) and George MacKay (“1917”), has been bought by distributors in all major markets following its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival. Represented in international markets by Kinology, “The Beast” has sold to the U.K. (Vertigo Releasing), Italy (iWonder), Spain (Caramel), Australia and New Zealand (Rialto), Benelux (Imagine), Scandinavia (NonStop), Latin America (Impacto), Middle East (Front Row), Poland (New Horizons), Greece (Weirdwave), Portugal (Alambique), CIS (Capella), Romania (Transilvania), Bulgaria (Cinelibri), Ex-Yugoslavia (MCF Megacom), India (Superfine) and Indonesia (P.T.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent France TV Distribution has enlisted a raft of major distributors worldwide for “Sugar and Stars,” a movie starring Riadh Belaïche, a social media influencer-turned-actor. The inspirational drama is based on the true story of Yazid Ichemrahem, an underdog who became a famous pastry chef.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The onset of war this weekend sparked by Hamas attacks on Israel has largely shuttered Israel’s film and TV industry as the country grapples with the insurgency and a death toll that has surpassed 1,100. Israeli theaters have gone dark and most air travel has been canceled. Many of those active in media and entertainment are impacted by the tragedy and are volunteering in extensive ways.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Sean Penn, whose Volodymyr Zelenskyy documentary “Superpower” recently launched on Paramount+, will be on the iconic stage of Cannes’s Grand Auditorium later this month — but it won’t be for a movie. The Oscar winner is set to attend Mipcom, the international TV conference, alongside Matthew Fox (“Lost”) and Kick Gurry (“Edge of Tomorrow”) to discuss their wartime satire series “C*A*U*G*H*T” as part of a Media Mastermind Keynote on Oct. 18.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The Berlin Film Festival has created a new scouting role to curate a rising generation of German filmmakers. The next edition, which is set to take place from Feb. 15-25, will see its section dedicated to newcomer German films merged into the main program.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The Berlin Film Festival will be launching a new section, called Newcomer German Films, during its next edition taking place from Feb. 15-25. The section will highlight emerging German filmmakers, and will be part of the main program alongside the Competition, Encounters, Panorama, Generation and Forum sections.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Pierre Branco, general manager for Warner Bros. Discovery in France, Benelux and Africa, is stepping down from his position, Variety has learned.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent French actor Gerard Depardieu, who is indicted on rape and sexual assault charges in connection to a 2018 case, has published an open letter claiming he’s “neither a rapist, nor a predator.” In the brief letter, published in Le Figaro newspaper on Oct. 1, Depardieu alluded to the allegations of rape and sexual assault tied to a 2018 lawsuit filed by Charlotte Arnould, whose parents are old friends of his. Without naming Arnould, Depardieu says “a woman came to (his) home a first time, lightly, and willingly stepped into (his) bedroom.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Andrey Zvyagintsev, the two-time Oscar-nominated Russian filmmaker of “Loveless” and “Leviathan,” will next direct “Jupiter,” a politically-minded movie set to shoot in Spain and France next spring. The movie will tell the story of a Russian oligarch’s reckoning with the harsh reality of his family’s future.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Mediawan Rights has unveiled the first teaser of the anticipated “Zorro” series reboot which is directed by Javier Quintas (“Money Heist,”“Sky Rojo”) and is set to premiere on opening night of Mipcom. Produced by leading Spanish company Secuoya Studios, the show marks the IP’s big television comeback almost two decades after its last live-action adaptation. The Spanish-language series will have its premiere screening at Mipcom on Oct.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Yellow Veil Pictures, the U.S.-based arthouse genre distribution company, has acquired North American rights to Belgian director Claude Schmitz’s deadpan detective thriller “The Other Laurens.” The feature debut world premiered at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight and will have its North American Premiere at Fantastic Fest which kicks off Sept. 23 in Austin, Texas. Yellow Veil Pictures plans for a theatrical release in 2024.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Netflix has ordered a sequel to “Troll,” the Norwegian action-adventure film directed by Roar Uthaug, who helmed Norway’s first disaster movie, “The Wave.” “Troll 2” reteams Uthaug (“Tomb Raider”) with writer Espen Aukan andproducers Espen Horn and Kristian Strand Sinkerud at Motion Blur, the Oslo-based banner whose credits include “Cadaver,” “Amundsen” and “The 12th Man.” The first installment unfolds in the aftermath of an explosion in the Norwegian mountains, which awakens an ancient troll. The story revolves around a fearless paleontologist who embarks on a journey to stop the troll from wreaking deadly havoc.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Dominic Cooper (“Mamma Mia”) and Sarah Gadon (“A Dangerous Method”) are co-starring in “Cry From The Sea,” a Canadian-Irish movie directed by cinematographer-turned-helmer Vic Sarin (“Cold Comfort”). The movie, which is currently shooting, is represented in international markets by Cinema Management Group, with WME and Laura Rister handling U.S.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Prime Video and Gaumont (“Intouchables”) are teaming up on an uplifting mother-son drama tackling disability, directed by Ken Scott (“Starbuck”), and starring French actors Leïla Bekhti (“All Your Faces”) and Jonathan Cohen (“Sentinelle”). Scott penned and will be directing the film which is titled “Ma mère, Dieu et Sylvie Vartan” and is based on Roland Perez’s novel by the same name. The project is the first theatrical film that Amazon Prime Video is co-financing as part of the French decree that kicked off in July 2021 and stems from the implementation of the European Commission’s legislation called Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMS).

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier will next direct “Sentimental Value,” a family drama starring Renate Reinsve, who won best actress in Cannes for her role in Trier’s Oscar-nominated 2021 film “The Worst Person of the World.” “Sentimental Value” will follow Nora (Reinsve), an actor, and her sister Agnes, who are grieving the loss of their mother while their father Gustav reappears in their lives after a long absence. Gustav, a once-celebrated filmmaker, has written a script for a comeback movie and offered the main part to his daughter Nora, but she categorically refuses the role.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Charades has closed multiple deals on “There’s Something in the Barn,” Magnus Martens’s (“Fear the Walking Dead”) comedy horror movie from “Dead Snow” producers at 74 Entertainment and XYZ Films. The English-language movie is headlined by Martin Starr (“Freaks and Geeks,” “Spider Man”), Amrita Acharia (“Game of Thrones”) and Jeppe Beck Laursen (“The Last Kingdom”).

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Natalie Portman may be an outspoken feminist and co-founder of a female-driven soccer club (Angel City FC), but she isn’t a believer in the so-called “female gaze.” In an interview with Vanity Fair France for the magazine’s 10-year anniversary issue, conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike, Portman argued that “to say that a female director has a particular gaze is reductive of women’s individuality and points of view.” The Harvard-educated actor also said that gender isn’t a factor when she chooses projects. “Female directors should have the same opportunities as their male counterparts.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The political backlash surrounding Agnieszka Holland’s Venice Special Jury Prize-winning refugee drama “Green Border” hasn’t kept the movie from being a hot seller. The film explores the injustice and terror perpetrated at the Polish-Belarusian border from the perspective of refugees, Polish activists and border guards.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent “Portrait Artist of the Year,” the popular U.K. entertainment format that will celebrate its 10th birthday on Sky Arts with Dame Judi Dench on Sept. 30, is set for a Norwegian adaptation to be produced by Nordisk Banijay.