The first international show to be greenlit in Ukraine since the start of the war has entered production. Red Arrow Studios International -backed anthology series Those Who Stayed, which Deadline first revealed in August , started the first filming block of three of its six episodes last week. The second block will begin next month and delivery is planned for the autumn. A number of Nordic networks have already boarded Those Who Stayed and Deadline understands more network deals are close. From Film.UA and Red Arrow Studios International, the comedy-drama anthology tells stories from the early days of Russia’s attack on its neighbor more than one year ago. Three production teams are working side by side in Kyiv, adhering to strict safety protocols and dealing with the daily challenges of filming amidst the war. The three episodes currently being filmed are titled Kyiv-Berlin, Homeless and In the Zoo . The first episode tells a story of a homeless … [Read more...] about Ukrainian War Anthology ‘Those Who Stayed’ Enters Production
Rehoming ukrainian refugees
Michael Winterbottom Talks Blurring Of Lines Between Documentary & Fiction; Appeals For UK Film Funding Rethink – Qumra Masterclass
Michael Winterbottom has devoted much of his filmmaking career to revisiting real-life events through works blurring the boundaries between documentary and drama to various degrees. The filmmaker shed light on his approach in a recent Doha Film Institute (DFI) masterclass, going behind the scenes of Welcome To Sarajevo , 24 Hour Party People , In This World , The Road To Guantanamo , A Might Heart and Eleven Days In May . “It’s a continuum, even if you’re filming a fantasy film in a studio on a green screen there is an element of document to that. You’re recording that moment of the act of performance,” he said when quizzed on his attitude towards documentary versus fiction. “Equally, even in a documentary like Eleven Days … you’re trying to shape that story, so it a continuum,” he added, referring to the 2022 documentary commemorating 68 children killed in Israeli bombing raids over Gaza in May 2021. Winterbottom elaborated on this idea through his … [Read more...] about Michael Winterbottom Talks Blurring Of Lines Between Documentary & Fiction; Appeals For UK Film Funding Rethink – Qumra Masterclass
Producer Amy Williams Files Lawsuit Against Filmmakers Behind Indie Drama ‘Jacir’ Starring Lorraine Bracco
EXCLUSIVE: Producer Amy Williams has filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Waheed AlQawasmi, the writer and director of upcoming indie feature Jacir , starring Lorraine Bracco . The suit also names WAFilms, the production company behind the film. AlQawasmi has hit back, describing the complaint as “without merit”. In the complaint, filed in the Chancery Court for Shelby County, Tennessee, producer Williams claims that AlQawasmi wrongfully removed her name from the film as its lead producer and has failed to pay her the promised compensation for her work on the project. According to the filing, Williams says AlQawasmi approached her in 2016 to help produce the film originally titled My Friend Jacir . The suit claims that Williams procured funding and cast members for the movie, including Bracco, who stars in the film’s lead role. The film completed production in December 2020, at which point the suit claims that AlQawasmi “manufactured” a contract breach on … [Read more...] about Producer Amy Williams Files Lawsuit Against Filmmakers Behind Indie Drama ‘Jacir’ Starring Lorraine Bracco
‘Unorthodox’ & ‘Deutschland 83’ Creator Anna Winger Says Her Netflix War Drama ‘Transatlantic’ Was Inspired By Comedy In ‘Casablanca’
EXCLUSIVE: Anna Winger drew inspiration from comedy and entertainment in Casablanca when penning upcoming Netflix war drama Transatlanti c. The show, which is the first to emerge from the Deutschland 83 creator’s Netflix deal , tells the story of the Emergency Rescue Committee, an organization that helped thousands of refugees escape Nazi-occupied Marseille during World War Two. Speaking exclusively to Deadline just before its Series Mania premiere, Winger said she wanted to set Transatlantic apart from previous similar offerings such as Schindler’s List through its humor and creativity, and that she sought inspiration from 1942 hit Casablanca. “I’ve been approached with lots of World War Two material during my career and have avoided it because I felt like it had been done, but what I loved about this story is the positivity,” she added. “We leaned into the style of the movies made at the time [of Casablanca ], which were being made … [Read more...] about ‘Unorthodox’ & ‘Deutschland 83’ Creator Anna Winger Says Her Netflix War Drama ‘Transatlantic’ Was Inspired By Comedy In ‘Casablanca’
‘The Prom’ Review: Broadway Comedy Razzle-Dazzles Small Town Bigotry
Your prom probably didn’t have a glorious gaggle of Broadway troupers and their trunk loads of self-regard and narcissism gumming things up for your rite of passage – more’s the pity – but in some ways I’d guess Broadway’s musical The Prom isn’t so unlike the one you lived through way back when. The build-up was more fun than the event, right? Inspired by an actual event – and the inspired is apt – The Prom is the latest razzle-dazzle show-biz love fest from director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw, who applied the same glitz and show-biz glitter to Mean Girls, Aladdin and, more to the point here, Something Rotten! , that great mash-up of the Bard and Broadway. Comparisons won’t do The Prom much good – Something Rotten it isn’t, but it tries. The Prom begins with a first-act of laughs and a demolition of the type of delicious Broadway monsters who can drop Carrie the Musical jokes with the timed precision of a Fosse broken doll walk. The premise … [Read more...] about ‘The Prom’ Review: Broadway Comedy Razzle-Dazzles Small Town Bigotry