Concert for Ukraine With Ed Sheeran, Eurovision Winner Jamala, Raises $17 Million – Global Bulletin
FUNDRAISER
Concert for Ukraine, the fundraising event for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal on Tuesday, saw ￡13.4 million ($17.6 million) raised from sponsorship, ad revenue, ticket sales and public donations. The two-hour event, which was live from the Resorts World Arena Birmingham, and broadcast exclusively on ITV and STV, featured performances from Anne-Marie, Becky Hill, Camila Cabello, Nile Rogers & Chic, Ed Sheeran, Emeli Sandé, Gregory Porter, Jamala, The Kingdom Choir, Manic Street Preachers, Nicola Benedetti, Snow Patrol and Tom Odell.
A highpoint of the evening was a violin performance, which saw the recent viral video of young violinist Illia Bondarenko playing the Ukrainian folk song “Verbovaya Doschechka” from a basement shelter along with 94 violinists from around the world, joined up with a live performance in the room by Nicola Benedetti. There were testimonial readings by British actors Tamsin Greig and Eddie Marsan, describing the real-life experiences of Artem and Natalya who were forced to flee their respective homes as a result of the conflict. Ukrainian singer Jamala, the winner of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest for her country, performed a rendition of her hit “1944.”
More from Variety
Rolling Stones 60th Anniversary Celebrations Set at BBC - Global Bulletin
Soccer Sexual Abuse Drama 'Floodlights' Set at BBC - Global Bulletin
Yunling Fang
SLATE
Independent global entertainment company Boat Rocker has launched a premium original documentary slate with the greenlight of its first project, “Le Bal Paris,” a feature length documentary offering viewers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the world’s most prestigious debutante ball, produced by Boat Rocker company Maven. The project documents the months long preparation process undertaken by the young attendees, as well as Ophélie Renouard, founder of le Bal Paris, and her team and will follow an invited international cast including teen Royals from Italy, Germany, India, China, the U.S., and for the first time Norway, Hungary, Kazakhstan and Indonesia. Ophélie Renouard, Mickey Boardman, Leila Mattimore, Jessica Sebastian-Dayeh and Lisa Immordino Vreeland serve as producers on the project. Documentary filmmaker Lisa Immordino Vreeland (“Truman & Tennessee”) is attached to direct. This is the first of a series of projects that will see Boat Rocker independently finance premium documentaries for the global marketplace. Boat Rocker will manage global distribution for “Le Bal Paris.”
DATES/NUMBERS
The Series Mania festival in Lille, France, will return March 17-24, 2023 and the Series Mania Forum March 21-23. Series Mania had more than 70,000 attendees at the recently concluded 2022 edition, while the Forum
had 3,300 accredited guests from 64 countries with more than 200 speakers and 49 series pitched. There were more than 255,000 visits on seriesmania.com and seriesmaniadigital.com.
STREAMING
Asian streamer Lionsgate Play has commissioned “Gamer Log,” a coming- of-age sitcom set against the backdrop of competitive E-sports that will follow the adventures and misadventures of a team of professional gamers. The show has been created by Karmanya Ahuja and is produced by RDP Pulp Fiction Entertainment headed by Abhinay Deo and Neeta Shah.
NEW HIRE
Independent distributor All3Media International has hired Yari Torres to the role of VP, Latin America, replacing Janel Downing who has relocated to the Atlanta area.
Torres will be based in Miami, where she will manage sales of All3Media International’s multi-genre catalogue of drama and factual shows and formats across Latin America.
Torres, who will report to Sally Habbershaw, EVP Americas, joins from NBC Universal (NBCU), where she led NBCU’s international content distribution sales in Latin America. She previously worked for Telemundo Internacional where she was responsible for content and format sales in Asia and French-speaking territories.
“We have had great success with our premium scripted sales and will look to build opportunities for our premium factual slate and formats,” said Habbershaw. “Yari will be instrumental in ensuring these shows reach their maximum potential throughout Latin America.”
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
