WarnerMedia Hires Nordic Theatrical Boss; UK ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ Final Ratings; Sky Pledges $1.3M For Black Businesses; Darren Aronofsky Russian Festival Jury; Amazon Buys ‘Gehraiyaan’ – Global Briefs
WarnerMedia Signs Nordic Theatrical Boss
WarnerMedia has hired a Head of Theatrical Distribution for the Nordic Region as it looks to bolster streamer HBO Max in Scandinavia. Tore Fredrik Dreyer joins from tech company Dolittle where he was Chief Storyteller. Dreyer will build a pan-Nordic theatrical team to optimize the media giant’s slate from July 2022 onwards, with Dwayne Johnson-starring Black Adam set as the first title he will focus on. The former Twentieth Century Fox Managing Director for the Nordics will report to both Jamie Friend, Country Manager Nordic and Central & Eastern Europe and CFO EMEA, and Toby Tennant, SVP Theatrical Distribution EMEA. “Tore Fredrik is a known and respected leader in in the entertainment industry and technology sectors affiliated with it,” said Friend. “His expertise will ensure we continue to offer our fans in the Nordics the very best theatrical and customer experience.” SF Studios will continue to represent Warner movies in the region until the release of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis.
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UK Ratings: Strictly Come Dancing Finale Tops 11M Overnight Viewers
BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing finale became the UK’s second most-watched overnight show of the year on Saturday night with 11.1M viewers. The finale of BBC Studios’ beloved dancing contest’s 19th season peaked with 12.2M viewers and was ahead of ITV rivals I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! and The Masked Singer over the year. Across all shows it has only been beaten in 2021 by Line of Duty, which recorded a mammoth 12.8M overnight for its final episode and added another 5M on catchup. The Strictly crown was taken by the show’s first disabled winner, deaf actor Rose Ayling-Ellis, who, along with partner Giovanni Pernice, beat the competition’s first ever all-male couple in a year that has been lauded for its diversity. The third finalist, presenter AJ Odudu, had to pull out due to injury.
Sky Pledges $1.3M For Black Businesses
Sky has launched a ￡1M ($1.3M) enterprise initiative to support Black entrepreneurs as part of its ￡30M ($40M) commitment to tackling racial injustice. The new funds will support Black business founders in the UK by identifying the barriers to success, delivering practical solutions and mentoring and creating the opportunity to access Sky’s own supply chain. The program’s long-term aim is to incorporate these businesses within its supply chain, which forms part of its 2021 Business in the Community’s Race At Work charter. Sky’s three-year ￡30M commitment has already funded a partnership with football body Kick It Out to drive inclusion in football.
Darren Aronofsky To Chair Patriki Film Fest Jury
Darren Aronofsky has signed up to be chair of the jury for the Patriki Film Festival, a competitive international online film fest in Russia. The event will take place in Moscow in the summer of 2022. The festival will feature premieres of Russian and international films and TV shows, all of which will be available for free online. This is the fourth edition of the Patriki festival, which was founded by Marina Jigalova and Alexey Bokov. “I am excited to be the head of the jury of the 2022 Patriki Film Festival. The festival has an open call for new filmmakers from all over the world to submit their feature films to compete for the Patriki Film Festival Grand Prix main award. The jury will be watching and will choose a winner this summer. Surprise us with your originality and personal visions. Thank you,” said Aronofsky.
Amazon Buys Shakun Batra’s ‘Gehraiyaan’
Amazon Prime Video has acquired Shakun Batra’s upcoming feature Gehraiyaan and will debut the film directly online on January 25, 2022. The latest film from Kapoor & Sons director Batra is a relationship drama that dives into the depths of complex modern relationships, adulting, letting go and taking control of ones’ life path. Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday and Dhairya Karwa star. It is produced by Dharma Productions and Viacom18 Studios in association with Batra’s Jouska Films
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