When a young Viesturs Kairiss started to dream about becoming a filmmaker thirty-some-odd years ago, he knew his path wouldn’t be straightforward or easy. Before the fall of the Soviet Union, aspiring Latvian directors would have to travel to Moscow or St. Petersburg to enroll in venerable Soviet film schools. After independence, Kairiss was among…
Animated Feature ‘The Peasants,’ Followup to Oscar Nominee ‘Loving Vincent,’ Sells to Several Further Territories (EXCLUSIVE)
New Europe Film Sales has closed several further distribution deals for animated feature “The Peasants,” the followup to Oscar nominee “Loving Vincent,” which grossed more than $50 million at the global box office. New sales include Benelux (Paradiso), the former Yugoslavia (MCF Megacom), Hungary (Vertigo), Portugal (Outsider Films), Turkey (Birfilm) and Scandinavia (Another World Entertainment)….
Booming Baltic Industries Share the Limelight in Berlin as EFM’s Countries in Focus
When a rock festival held in Tallinn in the summer of 1988 was shut down by Soviet authorities, thousands of Estonians took to the streets, waving Estonian flags and singing patriotic songs in a bold show of defiance of Soviet rule. By the festival’s final night, some 200,000 people had joined what would later be…
Latvian Producers Take Their Top Projects to the European Film Market
This year, Latvia is sharing a spotlight with neighboring Lithuania and Estonia at the European Film Market, which has dedicated its 2023 Country in Focus Spotlight to the Baltic nations. It’s a sign of the tremendous strides the country has taken to put itself on the world cinema map, with the screen industries both producing…
Dogwoof Boards Sundance Winner ‘The Eternal Memory’ for International Sales (EXCLUSIVE)
Dogwoof has boarded MTV Documentary Films’ Sundance winner “The Eternal Memory” for international sales excluding the U.S. The latest feature from Oscar-nominated “Mole Agent” director Maite Alberdi had its world premiere as part of the World Cinema Documentary Competition at Sundance last month, where it won the World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize before MTV…
Heretic Acquires World Rights to Latest From Berlinale Golden Bear Winner Radu Jude (EXCLUSIVE)
Athens-based Heretic has acquired worlds sales rights for “Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World,” the latest film from Berlinale Golden Bear winner Radu Jude (“Bad Luck Banging or Looney Porn”), who is serving on the international jury at this year’s Berlin Film Festival. Divided into two parts, Jadu’s latest follows…
Top Baltic Producers Bring Their Buzz Titles to EFM
When the European Film Market kicks off in Berlin on Feb. 16, the three Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will share the stage as the EFM’s joint Countries in Focus. The showcase, which is supported by the Estonian Film Institute, the National Film Center of Latvia and the Lithuanian Film Center, will offer…
Chiefs’ Kelce announced as ‘SNL’ host on March 4
Fresh off the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win, Travis Kelce has been named host of “Saturday Night Live” on March 4.
Maryland hands No. 3 Purdue 2nd straight loss
Maryland used a dominant stretch in the middle of the second half to rally past No. 3 Purdue 68-54 and deal the Boilermakers their second consecutive loss.
‘Abbott Elementary’ Star Janelle James to Host Writers Guild Awards (TV News Roundup)
Janelle James, the actor whose role as principal Ava Coleman on “Abbott Elementary” earned her an Emmy nomination, has been named host of the 75th annual Writers Guild Awards on the West Coast. “I am honored to be hosting the WGA Awards this year,” James said in a statement. “I was told that I can…