The 66th BFI London Film Festival has set Empire Of Light , the latest film from Sam Mendes , as its American Express Gala screening. Starring Olivia Colman , Micheal Ward ( Blue Story, Top Boy ), and Colin Firth, the film will receive its European Premiere on Wednesday, October 12 at the Southbank Centre in the Royal Festival Hall. Mendes will attend the screening with Producer Pippa Harris alongside key cast members, including Olivia Colman, Colin Firth, Michael Ward, and Toby Jones. “I’m absolutely delighted to be included in this year’s BFI London Film Festival as the AMEX Gala screening. Empire of Light is a very personal movie for me, and I can’t wait to show it in my hometown,” Mendes said in a statement. The film will mark Mendes’s first solo screenwriting credit and reunites the director with Academy Award-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins whom he worked with on 1917 and Skyfall . In a statement, Tricia Tuttle, BFI London Film Festival … [Read more...] about ‘Empire Of Light’ Set As BFI London Film Festival Gala Screening
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BBC Studios Kids & Family Restructures & Seeks Three Senior Execs To Lead On Creative, Commercial & Development
BBC Studios Kids & Family has initiated a major restructure, unifying the team under one slate and budget and seeking creative, commercial and development bosses. Cecilia Persson’s team is operating with five pillars, with respective focuses on Business, Commercial, Development, Production and Content Strategy, according to a BBC Studios spokesman. A trio of job adverts have been issued in the past few days for a Head of Content & Strategy, Head of Commercial and VP/Creative Director, Development for the team, which is run by former WarnerMedia exec Persson . All three are newly-created and Persson will say more about them during a Mipcom keynote in October. Once the three are onboard, the BBC Studios Kids & Family division will be significantly enhanced as it unifies to focus on one slate and budget, seeking growth in commercial kids genres such as animation, high-end drama and pre-school. The Head of Strategy will set out both local and global … [Read more...] about BBC Studios Kids & Family Restructures & Seeks Three Senior Execs To Lead On Creative, Commercial & Development
Hartbeat Expands Senior Leadership; Former Disney, NBCU Exec To Lead Branded Content Studio
EXCLUSIVE: Hartbeat is expanding its senior leadership team, adding former Disney and NBCUniversal executive Brian Price to head Pulse, its new branded content studio, and Candisse Williamson from Skybound Entertainment and The Madison Square Garden Company to run business and legal affairs. The company also upped Mike Stein to EVP, Head of TV & Audio, reporting to President & Chief Content Officer, Bryan Smiley, and Monti Sehmi to EVP, Head of Finance and Operations. Hartbeat was formed by the merger Hart’s Laugh Out Loud and HartBeat Productions , bolstered by a $100 million capital raise. It said today it plans to grow its executive team across its three main divisions – Hartbeat Studios, which finances, develops and produces content; Hartbeat Media, events and distribution; and Pulse, a branded content and entertainment studio and consultancy. Price joins Hartbeat as SVP, Head of Branded Content & Creative Partnerships overseeing Pulse to develop … [Read more...] about Hartbeat Expands Senior Leadership; Former Disney, NBCU Exec To Lead Branded Content Studio
Sanaa Lathan, Algee Smith, Sierra Capri & Mike Epps To Star In ‘Young. Wild. Free’ From Macro Film Studios & Confluential Films
EXCLUSIVE: Macro Film Studios, Confluential Films and No Label Productions are collaborating on the film Young. Wild. Free . Sanaa Lathan ( The Perfect Guy ), Algee Smith ( Judas and the Black Messiah ), Sierra Capri ( On My Block ) and Mike Epps ( The Upshaws )star. Directed by Thembi Banks ( Insecure ) and written by Juel Taylor (from a story created by Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier), the film follows a hot-tempered high school senior who finds his claustrophobic life suddenly thrust into an enticing, dangerous direction after he is robbed at gunpoint by the girl of his dreams. Producers include Macro Film Studios’ Charles D. King, James Lopez and Poppy Hanks, Tommy Oliver and Baron Davis. Executive producers include Codie Elaine Oliver, Prince Baggett and Charlotte Koh; Jenna Cavelle; Taylor, Rettenmaier, Mark R. Wright, Jo Henriquez, Thembi Banks and Lathan. Production is underway in Los Angeles. … [Read more...] about Sanaa Lathan, Algee Smith, Sierra Capri & Mike Epps To Star In ‘Young. Wild. Free’ From Macro Film Studios & Confluential Films
Aaron Rodgers Surprises Boys & Girls Club During Lambeau Field Tour
Twitter/@NicoleMenner/Fox 11 Aaron Rodgers gave a group of kids from the Washington County Boys & Girls Club the experience of a lifetime yesterday ... surprising them with some facetime while on a tour of iconic Lambeau Field! The Green Bay Packers star QB was in the building, as he gears up for his 18th NFL season, when he ran into a group of about 20 kids who were soaking up the sights of historic Lambeau. That's when the tour took an awesome turn for the kids. Rodgers, who was leaving the locker room, emerged and asked , “Does anyone know which locker is Aaron Rodgers?” ... as the youngers looked at him in disbelief. Aaron stopped and posed for a group photo with the kids ... and dished out a few high fives to the little ones. So this just happened. A tour group of kids were interrupted by someone asking “can you find Aaron Rodgers’ locker?” pic.twitter.com/sWpMxXNiua — Doug Russell (@DougRussell) August 10, 2022 @DougRussell It's … [Read more...] about Aaron Rodgers Surprises Boys & Girls Club During Lambeau Field Tour
Early James Wasn’t Made for These Times
Early James doesn’t like it when his lyrics sound too straightforward. The Alabama singer-songwriter tends to approach things obliquely, adding an air of mystery and haziness that doesn’t just spell it all out. Sometimes he even does it to his detriment. “I like to confuse myself by what I even mean,” James says. “It’s like, what do you mean by that? I’m like, ‘That’s a fun turn of phrase. Does it make sense? No, not yet.’ And then you just make it make sense.” James had to do some sense-making labor for “Real Low Down Lonesome,” a duet with roots star Sierra Ferrell that appears on his upcoming album Strange Time to Be Alive (Aug. 19). Over a dramatic, flamenco-influenced set of chords, Ferrell coos about “an awfully strange gallows trick” and James murmurs about “striking matches just for fun,” vividly illustrating the potently seductive and dangerous attraction between two people. James had written it with Ferrell and Strange Time to Be Alive ‘s producer Dan Auerbach … [Read more...] about Early James Wasn’t Made for These Times
TOLDJA! Weinstein Company Announces VOD Label
The Weinstein Company has confirmed Deadline’s scoop about it forming a VOD venture and naming Tom Quinn and Jason Janego to run it. The deal will certainly focus attention on the emergence of VOD as a lifeline to movies that either don’t have the commercial premise or the starpower for a wide theatrical release. Here’s the announcement from TWC: New York (September 6, 2011) – The Weinstein Company (TWC) announced today that Tom Quinn and Jason Janego have joined forces with TWC Co-Chairmen Harvey and Bob Weinstein to create a new TWC label to bring new films and other specialty entertainment to audiences simultaneously across multiple digital and traditional platforms. Quinn and Janego will serve as Co-Presidents of the yet-to-be named label, which will be based in New York. The announcement was made by TWC COO David Glasser . Quinn and Janego were among the first in the film industry to explore the potential of emerging digital platforms and were in the … [Read more...] about TOLDJA! Weinstein Company Announces VOD Label
Netflix’s ‘Supacell’: ‘61st Street’ Star Tosin Cole To Lead ‘Blue Story’ Creator Rapman’s Superhero Drama
EXCLUSIVE: Netflix ’s Rapman -created Supacell series, about a group of regular people who gain superpowers, is up, up and away with Tosin Cole ( 61st Street ) signed on to play lead character Michael Lasaki. Filming begins in South London on Monday. Speaking exclusively to Deadline, Blue Story creator Rapman AKA Andrew Onwabolu said Cole’s Michael is a “van driver, an everyday working man, who’s deep in love” with Dionne, played by Adelayo Adedayo ( The Responder ). The cast also includes Nadine Mills ( The Weekend ), Eric Kofi Abrefa ( Blue Story, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), Calvin Demba ( The Rig), Josh Tedeku ( Moonhaven ), Rayxia Ojo ( Call The Midwife) and Giacomo Mancini ( Top Boy). Commissioned in 2021, the six-part superhero show sees a certain number of Black people in South London develop superpowers. Rapman is showrunner and lead director and Sebastian Thiel (Dreaming Whilst Black) will direct three of the … [Read more...] about Netflix’s ‘Supacell’: ‘61st Street’ Star Tosin Cole To Lead ‘Blue Story’ Creator Rapman’s Superhero Drama
Projects from Aditya Assarat, Wang Qi, Le Bao And Jailed Myanmar Producer Ma Aeint In Busan’s Asian Project Market Line-up
Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has announced the 29 projects selected for this year’s Asian Project Market (APM), a core strand of the festival’s industry activities, including new works from Thailand’s Aditya Assarat, China’s Wang Qi, Vietnam’s Le Bao and Myanmar’s Maung Sun, whose producer Ma Aeint is currently in prison in Yangon. Ma Aeint, who previously produced Maung Sun’s award-winning Money Has Four Legs , was recently sentenced to three years in jail with hard labour by Myanmar’s military junta, which took over the country in a brutal coup in early 2021. She was accused of “causing fear, spreading fake news or agitating against government employees”. She is attached as a producer to Maung Sun’s new project, Future Laobans , described as a drama about the “international dimension of organized crime.” Assarat, an award-winning Thai director ( Hi-so , Wonderful Town ), is returning to feature-length directing after focusing on producing, … [Read more...] about Projects from Aditya Assarat, Wang Qi, Le Bao And Jailed Myanmar Producer Ma Aeint In Busan’s Asian Project Market Line-up
Run the Jewels Reflect Back With ‘A Few Words for the Firing Squad’ on ‘Colbert’
Run the Jewels appeared on The Late Show to showcase their track “A Few Words for the Firing Squad.” The duo, El-P and Killer Mike , offered a hard-hitting rendition of the 2020 song, which sees the pair reflecting on their value as artists. “A Few Words for the Firing Squad” comes off the rap group’s most recent LP, RTJ4 . The album featured collaborations with Greg Nice, DJ Premier, 2 Chainz, Pharrell Williams, Mavis Staples, Zack de la Rocha, and Josh Homme, who also co-produced his track “Pulling the Pin.” Earlier this month, Run the Jewels joined Black Thought and Danger Mouse for their new song, “Strangers,” which also features A$AP Rocky. The track will appear on Black Thought and Danger Mouse’s upcoming collaborative album, Cheat Codes , out this Friday, Aug. 12 via BMG. Run the Jewels are currently on tour with Rage Against the Machine , with several more upcoming shows at Madison Square Garden. The group will also perform at Reading and Leeds festival … [Read more...] about Run the Jewels Reflect Back With ‘A Few Words for the Firing Squad’ on ‘Colbert’