Lukas Nathrath’s One Last Evening Wins Locarno Pro’s First Look Prize
German filmmaker Lukas Nathrath’s debut feature One Last Evening, about a young couple who host a doomed farewell dinner for friends before moving to a new city, has won Locarno Pro’s First Look Award. The prize comes with €50,000 in post-production services from Swiss and Germany-based production house Cinegrell. This year’s First Look line-up showcased six upcoming movies from Germany. In further prizes, Le Film Français Award, offering advertising services worth €5,600, went to Arthur & Diana by Sara Summa. And the Kaiju Cinema Diffusion Prize, an award of €5,000 for the design of an international poster, went to Elaha by Milena Aboyan. The awards jury was made of BFI London Film Festival director Tricia Tuttle, International Film Festival Rotterdam artistic director Vanja Kaludjercic, and Busan International Film Festival festival director HUH Moonyung.
UKTV Seeks Comedy Scripts By Women, For Women
BBC Studios-owned UK network UKTV is partnering with the Female Pilot Club on a program seeking the next generation of TV comedy scripts written by women, for women. Applications opened today and end September 11 for submissions featuring female leads that are over the age of 45. Chosen scripts will be developed by UKTV and Female Pilot Club, followed by a live reading by talent before an industry audience. The Female Pilot Club was founded by Shaun the Sheep writer Kay Stonham to amplify female voices and has produced readings of new comedy scripts from the likes of It’s a Sin star Tracy-Ann Oberman and comedy actor Arabella Weir. Research has consistently found women writers lagging far behind men in TV comedy and sitcom breakdowns.
CJ ENM Strikes Major Spanish Language Deal
The footprint of Korean drama has expanded once again with the nation’s powerhouse CJ ENM striking a deal with Spanish language streamer ViX. TelevisaUnivision’s SVoD has added seven of CJ’s Korean dramas, all dubbed in Spanish, including Hotel Del Luna, Another Miss Oh, Because This Is My First Life and Righteous Love. Sebastian Kim, Director for International Content Sales for the Parasite distributor, said CJ’s passion “lies in reaching out to global fans.” The company has struck a multitude of major deals over the past few months, including the acquisition of 80% of Endeavor Content’s scripted business and a tie-up with Paramount Global to add Paramount+ to the TVing streamer.
Andy Serkis’s Imaginarium, Newen Connect Productions Team on ‘Madame!’
Andy Serkis’ Imaginarium Productions and France’s Newen Connect are teaming on the period drama “Madame!” about the life of Marie Tussaud, founder of London’s world-famous waxworks museum. The series, created by Serkis, will explore the rags-to-riches journey of Tussaud, spanning the age of enlightenment, the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror and then early 19th-Century London. Serkis will act as showrunner and director on the series. Newen Connect will co-develop and distribute.