🌈 Pride meets Cinema 🎬

Experience the captivating world where pride and cinema intersect. Join us in this week’s edition of Entertainment Supply Chain Digest as we celebrate global partnerships, remarkable film acquisitions, and the triumphant moments at Cannes.

We at Vitrina AI, the global sourcing hub for the entertainment supply-chain, strive to keep you informed of the latest happenings in the industry, so you don’t have to spend countless hours researching and keeping up to date.

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• Greek broadcaster, Alpha TV, has ordered a local version of the US gameshow Let’s Make a Deal. Titled “To Pio Megalo Pazari” it will be produced by Alpha TV and Foss Productions, with collaboration from Marcus/Glass Productions and Can’t Stop Media 🇬🇷 🇺🇸
• Suspense drama series “My Dearest Stranger” was announced at Cannes by Hishow Entertainment. Based on the best-selling novel “Secret Love” by Fan Shu, it revolves around Yu Xiao, a housewife who teams up with policeman Song Cheng to uncover the truth about her husband’s dark side while guarding her own secrets 🇨🇳
• Rebel Wilson make her directorial debut with “The Deb,” a musical comedy film set in the Australian outback. An adaptation of a musical play, “The Deb” is being produced by Unigram 🇬🇧 🇦🇺
• Hedetoft’s Studios Extraordinaires launched at Cannes, discussing adaptation of Infinite Mana Games’ “Expeditions” into TV series and films, and developing Pixelbite’s “Space Marshals” into an animated TV and film project. International production companies are in talks for partnerships 🇸🇪
• French SVOD platform ADN, announced that Toei Animation, along with French producer La Cachette, have come on board to adapt the comic-book “Le Collège Noir” into a series 🇫🇷 🇯🇵

• Screen Australia, SBS, and NITV have opened applications for the fourth year of the Digital Originals initiative. It aims to develop short-form dramas from underrepresented screen creatives, that premieres on SBS On Demand and NITV. The focus is on diverse backgrounds, including culturally diverse, disabled, gender diverse, LGBTQIA+, and regional individuals 🇦🇺
• The Mseleku family returns on the reality show “Izingane zeS’thembu” to DStv, and will showcase the challenges faced by the older children in carving their own identities 🇿🇦
• Ram Charan announces “The India House” project, produced by V Mega Pictures, in honor of Indian freedom fighter Veer Savarkar’s 140th birth anniversary 🇮🇳
• Fae Pictures, has partnered with Giant Films for the LGBTQ+ road trip family drama “Runs in the Family.” Directed by Ian Gabriel and written by Gabe Gabriel, the film marks Gabe’s first professional role since coming out as transgender in 2019 🇿🇦
• A documentary titled “The Abnormal Beauty Company” is to be produced by Real Friends Media and The Donaldson Company. It will delve into the life and career of Brandon Truaxe, the founder of DECIEM, with a focus on his successful brand, The Ordinary 🇺🇸

• Popular comedy show “Família Paraíso” to return to Multishow in S2 with a complete makeover, featuring a vibrant new set and exciting updates. This humorous series, produced in collaboration between Multishow and TV Globo, offers lighthearted content on the lives of elderly characters 🇧🇷
• Toonz Media Group and Zoonicorn have greenlit Season 2 of the preschool series, “Zoonicorn”. In the series, the Zoonicorns join their friends for exciting dream adventures and show them how to solve real-life problems 🇮🇳
• BBC’s “Our Lives” returns for its seventh season on BBC One, featuring the inspiring story of Scottish MMA fighter Stevie “Braveheart” Ray and his mental health journey 🇬🇧
• “Space Invaders”, the de-clutter series, is coming back for its fourth season. Produced by WTFN, the series transforms the homes and lives of those who have found themselves in mess and clutter 🇦🇺
• Prime Video has announced the Season 2 of the spy series “Citadel”. The show, a collaboration between Amazon and MGM Studios, is set to continue its thrilling storyline in the upcoming season 🌐

• Distributor Neon has acquired “Anatomy of a Fall,” the Palme d’Or-winning film by Justine Triet, while Picturehouse Entertainment has obtained the rights for distribution in the UK and Ireland 🇬🇧 Ireland, France 🇺🇸 
• A24 has secured key distribution deals for Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or frontrunner “The Zone Of Interest”. The film has been sold to multiple distributors like Leonine, Cineart, Spentzos, I Wonder, Happinet Phantom Studios, SF Studios, Elastica and Wanda, Filmcoopi 🇦🇹 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 🇬🇷 🇮🇹 🇯🇵  🇪🇸 🇨🇭 (Benelux and Scandinavia)
• Pyramide International has secured key sales for the drama movie “Marguerite’s Theorem”, including ADSO, Red Cape, Angel Films, Jinjin, Wanted, Weltkino Filmverleih, Teleview, and Discovery 🇪🇸 🇮🇱 🇰🇷 🇮🇹 🇩🇪 🇭🇷 🇸🇰 🇸🇮 (Middle East and Scandinavia)
• Totem Films has secured distribution deals in various territories for the film “Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry,” which premiered at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes. The film has been picked up by Capricci, New Wave, Vedette, Folkets Bio, Ama Films, Artcam and Eksystent 🇫🇷 🇬🇧 🇸🇪 🇬🇷 🇨🇿 🇩🇪 (Benelux)
• Sales agent, The Playmaker Munich, has secured presales deals for the family animated movie “Pirate Mo and the Legend of the Red Ruby” at Cannes. Multiple distributors have picked up title including Just4Kids, Filmarti, GPI, Rosebud, and Pro Films 🇹🇷 🇬🇷 🇧🇬 (Benelux and The Baltics)

• Netflix has acquired North American rights for the Todd Haynes-directed drama “May December”, starring Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman, in an estimated $11 million deal. This unsual deal has been brokered by CAA Media Finance and UTA 🇺🇸 
• NBCUniversal (NBCU) has formed a multi-year partnership with JioCinema, the streaming service owned by Viacom18, to bring the vast library of NBCU films and TV series to audiences in India 🇮🇳 🇺🇸
• Argentina’s FTA channel Pakapaka has acquired the award-winning kids series “Jasmine & Jambo” from Paris based animation studio Dandelooo 🇫🇷 🇦🇷
• Cohen Media Group has acquired the US rights for the art world romance film “Bonnard, Pierre & Marthe” following its premiere at Cannes. The biopic portrays the love story between painter Pierre Bonnard and his muse Marthe 🇺🇸 🇫🇷
• Genius Brands has expanded its global animation catalog and finalized international content sales. They have also licensed the second season of “Rainbow Rangers” and Frederator Networks’ popular series “Bravest Warriors” to Netflix in Australia and New Zealand 🇺🇸

• Anonymous Content and Morena Films have formed a joint venture to develop Spanish-language content for the global market, marking Anonymous Content’s fifth international partnership 🇺🇸 🇪🇸
• Peter Chernin’s North Road Company acquires a minority stake in Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions for collaboration on developing both unscripted and scripted content 🇺🇸
• Fonn Group has acquired Qbics Media GmbH, a Munich-based consulting company specializing in media and production systems. This strengthens Fonn Group’s position in the German-speaking Dach region and enhances its media production tools portfolio 🇩🇪 🇳🇴
• Leonine Studios, a top film distributor in Germany, has formed a partnership with A24 to establish a collaborative label called A24 | Leonine Studios. This joint venture will focus on distributing films in Germany and Austria 🇺🇸 🇩🇪
• Stampede Ventures and RedBird Capital Partners are teaming up with author Mo Willems to launch Hidden Pigeon Company (HPC), a kids’ entertainment company. HPC will adapt Willems’ children’s books and IP across various media, including TV, film, digital, gaming, publishing, and consumer products 🇺🇸

• Globo and Disney join forces to co-produce four Brazilian films, set for annual theatrical release and simultaneous streaming on Globoplay and Disney platforms in Brazil. Approval from CADE is pending 🇺🇸 🇧🇷
• Banijay UK’s Workerbee Group invests in Ty’r Ddraig, company founded by Ben Smith, for producing popular factual series for UK and international platforms. This investment emphasizes their commitment to the North of England and Wales and forming creative partnerships 🇬🇧
• Japan launches a production incentive program to attract international films, high-end TV shows, and streaming projects. Eligible projects must spend a minimum of JPY500m ($3.6m) on production costs in Japan or have total costs exceeding JPY1bn ($7.2m) with direct production costs in Japan surpassing JPY200m ($1.4m) 🇯🇵
• Amazon Studios, AMC Networks, and DTMEC unveil the Deaf Talent Creative Lab (DTCL) to empower Deaf people of color in the entertainment industry. The program offers skill development for teens and adult professionals in July 2023 🌐
• “MetaWorks Platforms, Inc. a Web3 company, has registered with ASCAP and launched a music publishing division, exploring Web3 opportunities in music, movies, and AI 🌐

• Cooke Optics and EZtrack collaborate on a groundbreaking system that combines lens mapping and camera tracking for seamless integration of live-action and computer-generated elements. This offers real-time shot viability feedback to directors 🇬🇧 🇫🇷
• ACCESS Europe GmbH launches ACCESS Twine for TV Operators (T4TO), enhancing customer offerings and protecting Set-Top Box investments. T4TO combines a technology platform with various content services, enabling operators to control the user interface and data harvesting 🇩🇪
• Canon India introduces the CR-N700, an indoor 4K remote PTZ camera, with advanced video production capabilities, high image quality, and strong connectivity. It includes class-leading auto focus and innovative add-on applications for enhanced productivity 🇮🇳
• NeuralGarage’s ‘VisualDub’, a groundbreaking generative AI technology, achieves a historic milestone as the first implementation of multilingual lip sync in advertising using generative AI 🇮🇳

• The Cinesite Group has made an investment in The Imaginarium Studios, a performance capture and virtual production company founded by Andy Serkis. The Imaginarium Studios will remain as a partner company, retaining its culture, brand, and facilities 🇬🇧
• “Visual Data, a US media localization provider, has acquired European rival EVA Localisation, a year after making a strategic investment in the company 🇬🇧 🇫🇷
• “Nvidia unveils “Nvidia Ace”, a software enabling game developers to incorporate generative AI NPCs with interactive dialogue into their worlds 🌐

• Famous Studios and Variate Studio have partnered to offer a complete VFX and CGI solution, and expand into metro cities across India. The partnership focuses on talent, technology, and expanding business across regions 🇮🇳
• Blackmagic Design collaborates with MIXI, Inc. to set up an in-house streaming studio with a complete Blackmagic Design workflow, enabling 4K streaming and virtual production capabilities 🇯🇵 🇦🇺
• Therapy Studios, an Emmy award-winning post-production company, launches a new motion graphics department led by Creative Director Heather Herbert-Skinner, expanding its design capabilities in Los Angeles 🇺🇸

• OTTera MENA introduces TarfeehTV, the inaugural FAST platform for the MENA region, providing linear streaming TV channels in various languages for the Middle East audience (MENA)
• Blue Ant Media expands its offerings on Vizio WatchFree+ in the US with the introduction of Homeful and Love Pets, showcasing real estate, renovation series, and heartwarming stories about animals and caretakers 🇺🇸
• FAST Channels TV has introduced JOUR and Paranormal HQ, offering captivating films and series on Human Potential and Classified Reality. JOUR showcases inspiring human interest documentaries, while Paranormal HQ explores intriguing mysteries like UFO encounters and government secrets 🇨🇦
• Frequency, a cloud-based video platform, has partnered with distributor Cineflix Rights, to launch its collection of FAST channels such as Real Disaster, Crime & Justice, Property & Reno 🇬🇧
• CBS Reality programs will be available on Amazon Freevee and Rakuten TV via the newly launched FAST channel, True Crime UK 🇬🇧

• For pride month June 2023, MUBI Canada has featured new LGBTQ+ films in its Pride Unprejudiced collection. These additions include the empowering drag queen documentary “Playback” and a charming lesbian rom-com called “Girlfriends and Girlfriends” 🇨🇦
• Mexican drama series “The Surrogacy” , along with Korean action-packed drama, “Bloodhound”, set to launch on Netflix 🌐
• Director Syafig Yusof’s action thriller “Polis Evo 3” has achieved a remarkable feat at the Malaysian box office, marking the largest opening weekend ($3.47m (RM16m)) for a local film since the Covid-19 pandemic began 🇲🇾
• Indonesian series “Marriage with Benefits” and Thai series “Loneliness Society” to release on streaming platform Viu this month
• The much anticipated sequel, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” releases in theatres globally