Refugee youth peer mentoring program

Deborah Barak , one of the most prominent, influential and beloved TV business executives of the past three decades, died today, Jan. 21, after a long battle with cancer. She was 65. Barak’s passing comes just two years after she left CBS at the end of 2020. During her 35 years at the company, rising to President of Business Operations, she created deal templates and introduced business models that have since become industry standards. A skilled negotiator who was highly respected by her peers, Barak — known to all as Debby — led the network’s and studio’s highest-profile negotiations. She brokered a slew of mega talent and show deals while always keeping her cool under pressure in the most chaotic situations. Behind the steely exterior, the unassuming and press-shy Barak had a great sense of humor. She also was a wonderful mentor to scores of industry professionals who now carry on her legacy. “Debby was a mentor and dear friend to so many of us at CBS,” said David … [Read more...] about Deborah Barak Dies: Former Top CBS Business Executive Was 65

UPDATED with final winners: The Oscar-winning documentary Summer of Soul , Bo Burnham’s Emmy-winning musical comedy special Inside , Barry Jenkins’ The Underground Railroad and Raoul Peck’s Exterminate All the Brutes are among the final list of winners of 2022 Peabody Awards . The Peabodys, in their 82nd year, honor the year’s most powerful content across the fields of entertainment, documentary, news, podcast/radio, arts, children’s and youth, and public service programming. The organization based at the Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia wrapped up a a weeklong rollout of all 30 winners Thursday. This year’s awards were presented by the likes of Melissa McCarthy, Morgan Freeman, John Legend, Kevin Bacon, H.E.R., Ethan Hawke, Jon Stewart, Hasan Minhaj, Riz Ahmed, LeVar Burton, Jenny Slate, Malcolm Gladwell and Adam Scott. Newsman Dan Rather and Fresh Air ‘s Terry Gross have already won this year’s Career Achievement Award and … [Read more...] about Peabody Awards: The Complete List Of 2022 Winners

GLAAD , the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, today announced the nominees for the 34th Annual GLAAD Media Awards . Current RuPaul’s Drag Race stars Salina EsTitties and Sasha Colby announced nominees in select GLAAD Media Awards categories in a ‘ GLAAD Drag Story Time’ video that just debuted on GLAAD’s YouTube. In the video, Sasha Colby commented on recent attacks on drag performers across the country: “Performers like us are being threatened with anti-LGBTQ bills, nasty protests, and even violence. You know what’s scary? People with guns, not queens with books!” In 2022, GLAAD found over 140 incidents of anti-LGBTQ protests and threats targeting drag events, including events run by the organization Drag Story Hour. The 34th Annual GLAAD Media Awards nominees were published, released, or broadcast between January 1 and December 31, 2022. The GLAAD Media Awards ceremonies, which fund GLAAD’s work to accelerate … [Read more...] about GLAAD Announces Nominees For The 34th Annual GLAAD Media Awards

South by Southwest on Wednesday revealed the second half of its lineup for this year’s edition, set for March 10-19. This includes Visions, the Global section presented by Mubi, 24 Beats, and Festival Favorites plus numerous additions to the Headliners, TV Premieres, Narrative and Documentary Spotlight and other sections. New on the sked is Janine Nabers and Donald Glover ’s Amazon Studios series Swarm and Lee Sung Jin’s Beef , respectively the opening- and closing-night TV premieres. They join the previously announced opening-night world premiere of Paramount’s Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves . This year’s closing-night film will be announced closer to the event. In addition, there is another movie to be announced for the fest’s Monday, March 13 slot. Given the Oscars on March 12 (note the festival sets their dates five years in advance), I understand that evening’s lineup will ease a bit with amped-up feature premiere wattage placed Monday night. … [Read more...] about SXSW Second Wave Includes UAR’s ‘Bottoms’, Donald Glover’s ‘Swarm’ Series, Michelle Yeoh’s ‘American Born Chinese’ & More

EXCLUSIVE : Netflix ’s The Kissing Booth producer iGeneration Studios has struck a partnership deal with Square Zero Films to develop scripted features based on Square Zero’s socially relevant documentaries, and the pair have set first three projects. The first three films to come from the partnership are Scrum, Soufra and Waiting for Mamu. The former tells the story of a Black rugby coach at a predominantly white university in south U.S., Soufra follows the lifelong resident of a Palestinian refugee camp as she rallies women around her to become entrepreneurs and Waiting for Mamu focuses on a social worker and her efforts to champion the rights of children of incarcerated parents. The likes of Erica C. Sutherlin, Francois Caillard and Dan Chen are attached. iGeneration said the service programs profiled in the docs will benefit financially in the production and distribution of the narrative adaptations, with Square Zero Films participating as producer and … [Read more...] about Netflix’s ‘The Kissing Booth’ Producer iGeneration Partners With Square Zero On Socially Relevant Drama

Legal docudrama Saint Omer was voted Best Picture at the 34 th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, which announced this year’s juried award winners today. Saint Omer wins for its ability “to expertly interrogate issues of society, culture, race, and gender,” the festival release stated. “Alice Diop, as screenwriter and director, delivers a film that explores different dynamics of Black women in contemporary France, drawing empathetic lead performances from Kayije Kagame and Guslagie Malanga (whose characters never interact, save for one momentous glance). By harnessing the skills of her technical team, Diop turns Saint Omer into a shrewd, cogent, ambitious, and overwhelming film which teases a metafictional awareness while remaining clear-eyed and unsentimental.” The Palm Springs festival took place from January 5-16 and screened 134 films from 64 countries, including 27 premieres. The lineup includes 35 of the International Feature Film Oscar … [Read more...] about ‘Saint Omer’ Takes Top Honors At 34th Palm Springs Film Festival

Chairman and CEO Frank Scherma of the Television Academy has named his six new appointees to the Executive Committee for 2023. They will advise on the organization’s diverse initiatives and help lead the Academy throughout the upcoming year. “I’m thrilled to welcome these accomplished executives back to serve on our Executive Committee,” said Scherma in a statement. “They will continue to bring their extensive experience and insight to our dynamic organization.” The new committee members are Casey Bloys , Chairman and CEO, HBO and HBO Max Content; George Cheeks , President and CEO, CBS, and Chief Content Officer, News and Sports, Paramount+; Pearlena Igbokwe , Chairman, Universal Studio Group; Gloria Calderón Kellett, award-winning writer, producer, director and actress; Lisa Nishimura, Vice President, Independent and Documentary Films at Netflix; and Zack Van Amburg, Chief Content Officer and Head of Worldwide Video for Apple TV+. Additionally, the Academy’s … [Read more...] about Television Academy Installs Six Industry Vets To 2023 Executive Committee

Based on one of the most sensational and much-discussed short stories of recent times, which was heralded as the most-read story ever to appear in The New Yorker, Cat Person is a disarmingly creepy film with a disturbing edge that will surely trigger further discussion about contemporary dating and romantic protocols. Years ago, a little film like this would have found a modest but loyal following among young audiences. Now, however, its forthright presentation of the pitfalls of flashing yellow lights where male-female relations are concerned should make this a must-see and a subject of hot discussion at least among teens and young adults. The film’s modest scale and non-big-star cast present a significant plus going in, as more famous names would have tilted the scale in a misleading direction concerning audience expectations. Michelle Ashford , the creator and main writer for the long-running Masters of Sex TV series, and The Flight Attendant director Susanna … [Read more...] about Sundance Review: Susanna Fogel’s ‘Cat Person’ Starring Emilia Jones & Nicholas Braun

EXCLUSIVE : It’s a big week for high school mariachi bands. Fremantle is developing a drama series set in the world of competitive mariachi bands in the United States. It comes as Going Varsity in Mariachi , a documentary directed by Sam Osborn and Alejandra Vasquez stars a talented group of students at Edinburg North High School in South Texas who compete for the title of the state’s best mariachi band, is hitting the Sundance Film Festival. The Mosquito Coast producer Fremantle has been bolstering its scripted business in recent years and has splurged $270M on 11 companies, many of which are helping this drive. The company is basing its drama series on Cecilia Ballí’s reporting in the New York Times article, A Championship Season in Mariachi Country. The series will explore the complex world of the Mariachi community.  The series showcase the bonds that exist among Latino youth as they prepare and compete in this epic and resonant competition. Cecilia … [Read more...] about Mariachi High School Competition Drama Series In The Works From Fremantle

Details of King Charles III ’s coronation in May were revealed Saturday by Buckingham Palace . Three days of celebrations are planned, including a concert featuring “global music icons and contemporary stars,” none of whom were named. The concert will take place on Sunday, May 7 at Windsor Castle ’s East Lawn on the day after the coronation, the latter a solemn religious affair. The music show will be part of celebrations across the UK, part of the so-called “Coronation Big Lunch.” The concert attendees will be drawn from an audience composed of volunteers from the King and Queen Consort’s charity affiliations and those public members selected through a national ballot held by the BBC. While specific performers were not noted, the Palace said the program will consist of a “world-class orchestra playing interpretations of musical favorites fronted by some of the world’s biggest entertainers, alongside performers from the world of dance…and a selection of spoken … [Read more...] about King Charles Coronation To Be A Three-Day Event, Punctuated By Major Artist Concert