ITV

Category: Event Coverage

  • Telly awards: Mediaboss, Discovery, Disney, Fox & Viacom among winners

    MUMBAI: The Telly Awards has named Mediaboss as a winner in seven categories in the 38th Annual Telly Awards. Two pieces received the highest honor, a Silver Telly. Mediaboss is an award-winning full-service production and post company creating content for distribution across all media platforms.

    The Telly Awards has named Mediaboss as a winner in seven categories in the 38th Annual Telly Awards. Their winning pieces run the gamut of their services: Branded Content & Entertainment Campaigns, both Business to Business and Business to Consumer; Documentary; Promotional; PSA Animated Commercial; Marketing Commercial; and Social Video.

    Their winning pieces are: Framingham Public Works: “Storm Water”; Jack’s Abby Brewing: “Kiwi Rising”; Joey Kramer’s Rockin’ & Roastin’ Coffee: Coffee with Kramedog campaign; The Town of Framingham: Taste of Downtown Framingham campaign; INFINIDAT’s Data Unknown: “India’s Mobile Generation” episode; Badass Women: “Your Ship Never Sails” documentary episode; and SwingJuice: “Good Morning, Beautiful” commercial.

    Mediaboss’ mini-documentary “Your Ship Never Sails” (which is part of their original series Badass Women) was awarded a Silver Telly, the Telly Award’s highest honor. Additionally, Mediaboss’ SwingJuice commercial, “Good Morning, Beautiful”, was awarded a Silver People’s Telly Award.

    “The goal at Mediaboss isn’t simply to create video but to inspire,” said Mediaboss creative director Ian Barrett. “We are thankful for the clients who appreciate the passion we have for their businesses and we look forward to the inspiriting projects of 2018.”

    The Telly Awards, founded in 1979, is an award honouring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programmes, the finest video and film productions, and online commercials, video and films. Winners represent the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, and corporate video departments in the world and include: BET Networks; Bloomberg; CBS Interactive; Comcast; Conde Nast; Discovery Communications; Disney; ESPN; FleishmanHillard; Fox; HBO’ Hearst; HuffPost; Indigo Films; Microsoft; MLB; NBC; PBS’ SapientNitro; The Guardian; The History Channel; Time Warner; Universal; and Viacom.

    “The Telly Awards has a mission to honor the very best in film and video,” said Telly Awards executive director
    Linda Day. Mediaboss’s accomplishment illustrates their creativity, skill, and dedication to their craft and serves as a testament to great film and video production.”

    “In the case of our Downtown development strategy, we needed to proactively communicate some very attractive amenities and destinations, including exciting ethnic food destinations. We were fortunate to have Mediaboss as a commercial entity right in the heart of Downtown and they did an outstanding job of nailing the message for us,” said Framingham town manager Robert Halpin.

    “The premise of Data Unknown is to show how data is influencing every moment of our lives,” said Steve Kenniston, Host and Creator of Data Unknown. “Working with Mediaboss on this project is the single most important decision regarding the show. Their extensive knowledge of and background in the Technology industry was critical in producing the show. Their insight helped bring the series’ goal to life.”

  • Furthering ‘Brand India’: Film & entertainment buyer-seller meet at Festival de Cannes

    NEW DELHI: A buyer-seller meet is being held during the Festival de Cannes 2017 to provide a platform for the Indian media & entertainment industry to showcase its product and services, strength and capabilities and further the image of “Brand India.”

    The meet is being organised by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry & Service Export Promotion Council of the Commerce and Industry Ministry from 18 to 22 May at the J W Marriott Hotel.

    Cannes Film Festival is uniquely positioned as one of the largest International film festival cum exhibition on the entertainment Industry where visitors come together to assess the latest trends, forge partnerships and solutions. This is an opportunity to meet professionals, to trade, to exchange ideas, and to project the capabilities of the Indian audio-visual industry in animation, VFX, films, editing, story writing, sound recording and promoting attractive shooting locales in India.

    The Marché du Film is the most important event of the film industry and the meeting point of more than 10,000 professionals, including 3,200 producers, 2,300 distributors’ rooms, 1,500 sellers and 790 festival organisers.

    Apart from facilitating pre-fixed B2B meetings, the meet will have Special Session with the minister of state for information and broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore which will be conducted by eminent producer Bobby Bedi. Others present at this meet will be Indian Ambassador to France Mohan Kumar; SEPC DG Sangeeta Saxena; eminent producer and Hyde Park Entertainment Chairman Ashok Amritraj; celebrity chef Vikas Khanna; and Hollywood film producer Andrei Severny.

    Meetings have been arranged with the Canadian and Australian delegations. There will be also be a discussion on Opportunities of Regional Cinema Going Global.

    The meet will conclude with a Session at the India Pavilion on “Export of Indian Film Services to the world” conducted by Special Treats Production CEO Colin Burrows.

    Participants at this meet will include Ms Saxena of SEPC, I and B Ministry Joint Secretary (films) Ashok Kumar Parmar; Trinity Pictures . (Eros International’s Motion Pictures Production division) CEO Ajit Thakur; and Content Policy and Standards Strategist at Intel Corp Ravi Velhal.

  • Ericsson launching virtualised MediaFirst video processing

    MUMBAI: Ericsson has created the foundation for all IP and cloud native delivery models with the launch of Ericsson MediaFirst Management Controller and Ericsson MediaFirst Encoding Live 8.1.

    The fully virtualised processing solution, which makes its debut at NAB Show 2017 in Las Vegas, enables operators to capitalize on consumer demand for new services in areas such as UHD, virtual and augmented reality, along with new revenue generating opportunities like dynamic ad insertion.

    Operating on any platform including pure software, common off the shelf (COTS) server hardware, private and public cloud, the flexibility breakthrough addresses complex configurations by taking control of all processing elements, using a service-based approach that secures operations and optimizes service quality.

    Ericsson is extending leadership in all IP architectures with the launch of Ericsson MediaFirst Management Controller and Ericsson MediaFirst Encoding Live 8.1 at NAB Show 2017. The Solution streamlines control of all processing elements across any platform using flexible, microservices architecture; enables rapid time to market and increased operator flexibility. New launches will amplify the benefits of Ericsson MediaFirst Video Processing portfolio, to optimise OPEX costs and enable transition towards a holistic, agile software architecture.

    Ericsson VP and head of media solutions Elisabetta Romano says: “We are making it easier to monetise services and drive down processing delivery costs throughout the entire content lifecycle. Management Controller and Encoding Live 8.1 are pivotal enhancements to MediaFirst Video Processing, the media industry’s most complete video processing solution. With these launches, Ericsson simplifies operations for content owners, broadcasters and service providers by enabling the move to complete virtualization across the media processing delivery chain.”

    Building on the company’s 25 years of pioneering video compression expertise, and in close collaboration with its customers and users, Ericsson MediaFirst Management Controller simplifies the transition to software-based architecture, providing a unified access point for Ericsson MediaFirst Video Processing products including Encoding Live, On Demand, Packaging, and Stream Processing. It allows operators to move away from a restrictive, monolithic approach towards a more agile service-based allocation, which streamlines application management and deployment across many services and clusters. The new management platform offers centralized visibility, configuration and control, along with flexible failover and licensing management for MediaFirst Video Processing applications; it can also adapt to dynamically changing environments, whilst balancing cost control.

    MediaFirst Video Processing Encoding Live 8.1 enables faster content deployment, drives operationally efficient delivery, and delivers more immersive consumer experiences than ever before. This newly introduced version offers a truly unified microservice architecture across all platform types, and includes centralized management, integral failover, and dynamic licensing benefits, together with faster video transcoding and industry leading density when deployed on a platform incorporating Intel’s Quick Sync Video (QSV) dedicated video hardware core.

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  • File transfer & global collaboration: Telstra & IBM Aspera team up

    MUMBAI: IBM has announced that Telstra has selected IBM Aspera to deliver simple, fast and secure media file transfer capability for Telstra Global Media Network (GMN) over the internet powered by Aspera Files.

    Custom built for the media industry, GMN combines Telstra’s high-capacity submarine fiber cable network, with access to four teleports and over 40 satellites covering strategic media hubs across Asia, Europe, the United States and Australia. As an alternative to traditional media delivery, GMN utilizes the proven power and performance of Aspera Files to share and exchange content of any size, from any connected location, with anyone.

    Telstra GMN was developed in response to rapid growth of video on-demand consumption, providing customers with support for a broad range of media content formats, resolutions and access requirements including live stream and file based media. Using the joint solution by Telstra and Aspera, GMN customers can quickly and reliably share content around the world whether it’s a broadcaster wanting to source a timely critical sports event, or content producers delivering a television program between production facilities.

    Telstra’s GMN is supported by satellite and fiber infrastructure on a fully redundant low latency network coupled with 24×7 international monitoring, support and management from Master Control Rooms in Sydney and Hong Kong ensuring timely delivery of digital assets to meet the most stringent production deadlines.

    The deep API-based integration of the multi-tenant Aspera Files SaaS platform provides a comprehensive file sharing and delivery solution that is immediately available and can be accessed and redirected from the Telstra GMN online portal. Via Telstra’s GMN online portal customers can schedule services from their preferred location, with a choice of different performance and management levels. Customers are also able to select additional services including media file transfer via Aspera Files and record to file functionality which records live feeds and saves content to digital files to be sent via media file transfer to customers.

    “The Telstra Global Media Network was built to empower our global customers to swiftly and smartly grasp the incredible opportunity at hand with the rise of demand for content,” said Telstra Broadcast Services head Trevor Boal. “With a strategic focus on the delivery of live global sports broadcasting, Telstra continues to invest heavily to bring the best solutions and technology to market for broadcast customers. Partnering with the innovative architecture of the Aspera Files SaaS naturally satisfied our goals to scale across multiple cloud storage environments while adding value to the customer experience with GMN.”

    “The technical strengths of the Telstra network combined with the high-performance large content sharing and delivery capabilities of Aspera Files enables customers in the media community to enjoy both the highest quality application and infrastructure and to have a future-proof home for their most advanced media workflows,” said John Wastcoat, Vice President of Business Development at Aspera.

    The solution takes full advantage of the most advanced features of the Files platform:

    • Fine-grained access controls per Workspace to allow each media Client an area to upload, share and manage media content and preview video and images.
    • Send packages of files and directories of any size to other workspace members and external users.
    • Personal and “dropbox” invitation links for others to submit content and metadata.
    • Seamlessly connect virtually any public cloud storage via the Aspera Transfer Service to manage and scale out the storage available to clients as GMN evolves.
    • Drag-and-drop files and folders to initiate transfers locally or between regions around the world, with direct access to Telstra’s chosen storage.

    Aspera is demonstrating Aspera Files SaaS and the Aspera Multi-Cloud High-Speed Transfer Service, alongside its entire portfolio of high-speed file transfer, sharing and exchange solutions at NAB 2017 taking place 24-27 April in Las Vegas.

    Telstra is demonstrating the Global Media Network along with its complete portfolio of network solutions at NAB 2017.

  • 20 countries enter deals for 360 deg VR content with RT at MIPTV 2017

    MOSCOW: RT, the global TV news network, has become a pioneer of 360-degree video format commercialisation by securing licensing agreements for VR content with organisations from across 20 countries. The deals followed an RT showcase in which it demonstrated expertise in integrating panoramic videos into documentary features at MIPTV 2017, one of the world’s largest annual content markets.

    “This year at MIPTV we have witnessed a real breakthrough in VR content licensing. For the first time we have concluded multiple VR content deals. It’s a clear sign that the market is becoming more established and that the demand for quality 360 content is growing. RT is uniquely positioned to deliver on this growing demand,” says Ed Chizhikov, head of RT 360.

    With over 100 current titles, RT presented one of the world’s largest 360 VR original content libraries at the MIPTV market.

    RT also hosted a VR session Integration of 360 Video: Pioneering a New Method of Storytelling showcasing the network’s documentary film Project Duterte to demonstrate how 360 segments could be integrated into traditional filmmaking done in the flat format. Project Duterte discusses the controversial drug war waged by President Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines. RT correspondent and author of Project Duterte, Marina Kosareva, who managed to secure an exclusive interview with the President of the Philippines during the making of the film, spoke at the RT showcase alongside Chizhikov.

    Visitors of the MIPTV 2017 virtual reality pavilion also had a chance to view firsthand the Space 360 project, a team effort by RT, the Roscosmos State Corporation, and Energia Rocket and Space Corporation that brought audiences the first-ever panoramic view of planet Earth as seen from space in November 2016.

    During the market, RT was able to successfully license its 360 VR content to 20 organisations from different countries including the UK, South Korea, China, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia, marking the growth of 360 VR as an essential part of the global content distribution business.

    RT was among the first global news media outlets to adopt 360 technology for news production. RT’s panoramic videos are available on Facebook, YouTube and the RT360 app (available at Google Play, AppStore and Oculus Store).

  • Comprimato launches post-production video plug-in tools for proxy-free Adobe workflows

    MUMBAI: Comprimato, a leading provider of GPU accelerated storage compression and video transcoding solutions, has launched Comprimato UltraPix, a simple video plug-in for popular post-production tools. The first release brings proxy-free, auto-setup workflows for Ultra HD, VR and more on any hardware running Adobe® Premiere® Pro CC, a key component of Adobe Creative Cloud®. Comprimato will demonstrate the technology at NAB in Las Vegas, 24-27 April .

    The challenge for post facilities finishing in 4K or 8K Ultra HD, or working on immersive 360­° VR projects, is managing the massive amount of data. The files are large, requiring a lot of expensive storage, which can be slow and cumbersome to load, and achieving realtime editing performance is difficult.

    Comprimato UltraPix addresses this challenge, building on JPEG2000, a compression format that, offers high image quality (including mathematically lossless mode), to generate smaller versions of each frame as an inherent part of the compression process. With Comprimato UltraPix, the file is delivered at a size that the user’s hardware can accommodate.

    Once Comprimato UltraPix is loaded on any hardware, it automatically configures itself with auto-setup, requiring no specialist knowledge from the editor who continues to work in Adobe Premiere Pro CC exactly as normal. Any workflow can be boosted by Comprimato UltraPix, and the larger the files the greater the benefit.

    Comprimato UltraPix is a multi-platform video processing software for instant video resolution in real-time. It is a lightweight, downloadable video plug-in for OS X, Windows and Linux systems. Proxy-file rendering, transcoding or management is no longer needed on existing storage, and editors can seamlessly switch between 4K, 8K, Full HD, HD or lower resolutions anytime.

    “JPEG2000 is an open standard, recognised universally, and post production professionals will already be familiar with it as it is the image standard in DCP digital cinema files,” said Comprimato founder and CEO Jirˇí Matela.

    “What we have achieved is a unique implementation of JPEG2000 encoding and decoding in software, using the power of the CPU or GPU, which means we can embed it in realtime editing tools like Adobe Premiere Pro CC. It solves a real issue, simply and effectively. We believe video editors will soon be talking about exchanging UltraPix files.”

    “Editors and post-production professionals need tools that integrate ‘under the hood’ so they can focus on content creation and not technology,” said Adobe professional video – partner relations Sue Skidmore. “Comprimato adds a great option for Adobe Premiere Pro users who need to work with high-resolution video files, including 360 VR material.”

    Comprimato UltraPix plug-ins are currently available for Adobe Premiere Pro CC and Foundry Nuke and will be available on other leading post-production and VFX tools soon.

  • Channel-defining drama, high-concept format & breakthrough VR drive global alliances at MIPTV 2017

    CANNES: MIPTV 2017 provided plenty of drama for the thousands of delegates from over 100 countries in Cannes with a host of high-end projects being brought to market from around the world.

    From Sky Vision’s World Premiere TV Screening of Cote D’Azur-based ‘Riviera,’ to the latest unseen episode of Canal+’s ‘Engrenages,’ and the first Asian World Premiere TV Screening of Kansai TV’s ‘Crisis,’ MIPTV confirmed that in the multi-platform environment, standout drama is focusing minds on original story-telling and an increasing number of production alliances are taking shape between television heavyweights and the online superpowers.

    April 2 saw over 450 buyers at the second edition of the MIPDrama Screenings where projects from 12 finalists were judged by a Grand Jury of industry leaders. Prizes went to Globo’s ‘Jailers,’ Beta Films’ ‘Babylon Berlin,’ AB International Distribution’s sci-fi adventure ‘Missions,’ STUDIOCANAL’s Danish drama ‘Ride Upon the Storm,’ and all3media’s ‘Clique.’ A number of the 12 shortlisted titles and prize winners reported sales during the market.

    For the first time in the history of MIPTV, the 2,000 drama buyers in Cannes were treated to MIPDrama Pre-LA Screenings sneak previews of shows from Disney Media Distribution and Lionsgate.

    Among the shows that the two studios previewed, Lionsgate’s key title was the new TV series version of classic movie ‘Dirty Dancing,’ Disney Media Distribution’s slate included Marvel’s ‘Inhumans’ and ‘Cloak & Dagger,’ also from Marvel.

    Laurine Garaude, Director of Reed MIDEM’s Television Division said, “We know that other US studios are watching this inaugural event with interest and we hope they will follow Disney and Lionsgate’s lead next year.”

    Day one of MIPTV drew French and international media to a packed press conference devoted to Cannes Series , the new international festival for TV series that will run alongside MIPTV in 2018 and which is backed by Reed MIDEM and Canal+. Stressing the synergy between MIPTV and Cannes Series, Mayor of Cannes David Lisnard said, “The market will reinforce the festival and the festival will reinforce the market.”

    Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada stated his company would support the event “exclusively.” He added, “There is no festival in the world that works without a market.” Outlining her ambitions for the festival, Cannes Series President and former French Minister of Culture Fleur Pellerin said the idea is to create an event that will be a global reference for series. MIPTV and Cannes Series will work together to organise a Co-production Forum.

    Reed MIDEM CEO Paul Zilk commented, “It is exciting that Cannes Series will provide worldwide recognition of the best of international series and that it will do so alongside MIPTV, which has been a loyal partner with Cannes. The television business has been part of Cannes for five decades. It’s the right step at the right time and in the right place to launch Cannes Series.”

    The MIPDoc and MIPFormats events that took place on the weekend before MIPTV brought together 1,800 participants making it the world’s biggest market for unscripted programming. Speaking at MIPFormats, Conrad Riggs, head of unscripted at Amazon Originals, said he would be focusing on satisfying the growing demand for reality following Amazon Prime Video’s decision to go global at the end of last year. Upcoming projects include ‘Le Mans: Racing Is Everything,’ from the UK’s New Black Films, and ‘Lore,’ based on the popular podcast by Aaron Mahnke, which re-tells true stories based on supernatural events.

    There was a resurgence of reality entertainment programming from the US. NBC’s Paul Telegdy and Meredith Ahr gave a keynote presentation which spoke of the importance, locally, of big-budget entertainment shows ‘The Wall,’ ‘Little Big Shots,’ the soon-to-be- launched ‘World of Dance,’ and how these home-grown successes will work globally too. Lionsgate’s Sandra Stern announced a game-show based on mobile game Candy Crush that will premiere on CBS in July. And among its unscripted shows MGM Television brought Steve Harvey’s ‘Funderdome,’ a competition show for budding entrepreneurs.

    In the documentary sector, MIPDoc delegates were overwhelmingly enthusiastic about high-end projects that were screened in Cannes. These included NHK’s ‘Tokyo Phoenix: The Rise of Modern Japan’ from NHK, Arte France and CC&C. PBS International presented excerpts from ‘The Vietnam War’ to a rapturous reception, while 4KHD co-production ‘Big Pacific’ provided distributor ZDF Enterprises with the most-watched programme in the MIPDoc Screenings. Presenter, philosopher Jason Silva came to Cannes to highlight his new series for Fox, ‘Origins: The Journey of Humankind.’

    Among the highlights of this year’s MIPTV were the International Emmy® Kids Awards which celebrates excellence in children’s programming. During the gala dinner seven winners from four countries: Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom were awarded the prestigious statue. MIPTV’s Médaille d’Honneur gala evening paid tribute to Zhao Yifang, President and Founder of China’s Huace Group, Alexander Coridass, President and CEO ZDF Enterprises, Viacheslav Murugov, CEO of Russia’s CTC Media and Amazon Studios’ Vice President Roy Price.

    Amazon’s move to take its Amazon Prime Video platform international meant that Roy Price’s MIPTV keynote address was one of the most eagerly-anticipated presentations of MIPTV. Having screened clips from new action series ‘Jack Ryan,’ Price told his audience that content development is critical to growing the platform’s subscriber base in the 240 countries it now serves. 2016 saw Amazon invest some $3 billion in programming with flagship ‘The Grand Tour’ accounting for between $160 million to $200 million of that sum.

    French commercial broadcasting group TF1 chairman and CEO Gilles Pelisson was presented with Variety’s 2017 Achievement in International Television Award. During a keynote address in the Grand Auditorium Pelisson laid out TF1’s strategy for maintaining its leadership position in the face of digital disruption by building up a robust portfolio of sister channels while at the same time maintaining a strong flagship TF1 channel.

    The now-established Digital Fronts sessions showed how increasingly, digital studios and MCNs are now all about content, and less about technology as digital natives become fully screen-agnostic. “If you take one thing away from this session it’s this,” said Zoomin Studios head Richard Chambers, during one of the Digital Fronts presentations. “For Gen Z TV is entertainment, not a device or a format.”

    Introducing his third annual MIPTV update for Digital Fronts, Vice’s Eddy Moretti said, “I’m not going to talk about digital, I’m going to talk about TV.” His major emphasis was Vice’s push into scripted content and the audience was treated to clips from the company’s first two scripted drama productions which will premiere on Viceland, the company’s TV network.

    With a packed dedicated VR area it was clear at MIPTV that VR is moving into the entertainment mainstream. “Now we know that VR is not a passing fad – a revolution has begun,” said VR content producer Laduma CEO Ben Smith, at the Immersive Content Leadership Summit. At the same event, UK HTC’S Herve Fontaine said the company’s core strategy is “to make the market grow as fast as possible for content producers. Viveport president Rikard Steiber (HTC Vive) said during his keynote that, “VR is a completely new platform that will be the next mass market medium, allowing people to explore new kinds of worlds and experiences.”

    A series of 4K UHD screening sessions showed a wealth of content that is being produced as consumer take-up of hardware picks up. Japan is on a mission to have 4K Ultra HD and 8K broadcast in at least 50% of Japan’s TV homes in time for the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, said Masayuki Suga, deputy director at the government’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Furthermore, 4K penetration in TV homes should reach 100% by 2025, he added during a presentation called ‘Japan’s Road Map for 4K Ultra HD, and Beyond.’

    Brands are now a regular feature of MIPTV and PepsiCo VP of marketing and cultural connections Adam Harter was present to receive the MIPTV Brand of the Year Award. In a keynote speech he said, “We need to engage fans in new experiences and in unexpected ways. Fans lifestyles are changing fast so we need to stay ahead.”

    With 10,500 delegates, 1,500 exhibiting companies, 3,800 buyers from some 100 countries represented, MIPTV is the largest international entertainment market for the first half of the year. “With the many new initiatives introduced recently including MIPDrama Screenings, Pre-LA Screenings, VR focus and the announcement of Cannes Series festival, MIPTV is poised to drive the international TV industry forward,” said Reed MIDEM Director of Television Division Laurine Garaude.

  • Globo’s unreleased superseries featured at MIPDrama Latam

    CANNES: Globo’s unreleased superseries ‘The Days Were Like That’ was among the 10 productions featured at the first edition of MIPDrama Latam Screenings, held on 3 April — day one of the 2017 MIPTV.

    The Wit CEO Virginia Mouseler curated and presented the popular showcase gathering producers, distributors, journalists and international buyers interested in novelties, launches and trends set by the audiovisual industry in Latin America. Globo’s position as a major player in the international market was reinforced by the selection of the series for the event, consolidating the network as a major content producer for audiences across different countries. In line with the social movements erupting across Brazil and the world, the company adopts this dynamic mindset to create, produce and distribute its contents, always betting on innovative themes and unique formats.

    Premiered on 17 April in Brazil, ‘The Days Were Like That’ is set in Rio de Janeiro between the 1970s and 1980s. The plot revolves around the story of a young man and woman who meet and fall in love during the celebrations of Brazil’s third Soccer World Cup championship, in 1970. However, their families’ opposing political values and the unstable scenario in Brazil keep them from living out their love story. The superseries brings fiction and reality together to show how a country’s political context affects the lives, dreams and paths of ordinary people. The production features a star-studded cast with famous Globo actors, such as Sophie Charlotte and Daniel de Oliveira (both from ‘The Party’), Maria Casadevall (‘Trail of Lies’), Antonio Calloni (‘Above Justice’), Cássia Kiss and Susana Vieira (both from ‘Rules of the Game’).

    According to artistic director Carlos Araújo, the backdrop for the series’ main plot transports viewers straight into a period of Brazilian history also experienced by many Latin American countries. “My initial idea was to build a deep historical record of the period in which the plot plays out. From then on, I tried to develop a narrative through which fiction merges with reality. The idea is to make the audience believe the story actually develops in parallel with history,” he said.

    In addition to the Brazilian superseries, MIPDrama Latam Screenings also featured productions from Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and the U.S. The event sought to turn the spotlight onto locally-produced content from a region which has recently been standing out in the creation and distribution of solid and potentially successful audiovisual material for the global market. Globo will be located at the booth P0.A10 during MIPTV

  • Rai Com & Castalia deal will take All’Opera to LATAM

    CANNES: All’Opera, the ambitious programme to bring the best Italian opera productions to cinema audiences all over the world, continues to broaden its footprint, with ink drying on a new theatrical distribution deal for Latin America signed by Rai Com with Castalia Communications at MIPTV.

    With this deal, Castalia, headquartered in Atlanta and with offices in Mexico City and Lima, Peru, becomes the exclusive distribution partner for All’Opera for the whole of Latin America for the upcoming seasons of the project.

    Castalia founder and president Luis Torres-Bohl comments: “We see All’Opera as highly desirable content for our theatrical partners all over the continent. There definitely is a niche market for high-quality cultural content, especially if it comes with the impeccable degree and top-notch production values of All’Opera. This is something we firmly believe in and are willing to make a long-term commitment to.”

    Rai Com’s head of international sales Mattia Oddone adds: “Capturing the thrill of a night at the opera is the core of All’Opera’s concept of a live event in your local cinema. We are very happy to partner with a specialist in the market such as Castalia to extend the reach of All’Opera to South America; a project that encapsulates so many of the best things Italian culture has to offer to the world.”

    All’Opera is the best of the Italian Opera season, selected and produced by Rai in the highest quality to be broadcast live or near-live from the temples of Il Bel Canto to movie theatres all over the world.

    The All’Opera series is not only an essential part of the Italian cultural heritage, renewed year after year through the talent and vision of renowned artists. It is also a great tool to communicate the quality and dynamism of Italy culture today.

    Performances are captured with the highest audiovisual quality standards: Up to ten cameras recording HDR images in 4k and over 50 microphones with Dolby Surround sound.

  • Beta Film adds shows to its successful Spanish series slate

    CANNES: After the tremendous success of its Spanish slate of Velvet, Grand Hotel and Embassy, Beta Film is further extending its engagement in the Iberian series sector by boarding two new Atresmedia/Bambu-shows as international co-producer. The epic historical drama Morocco – Love in the Times of War (WT), for which13 episodes have already been greenlighted, and the drugs&crime-series Farinia – Snow on the Atlantic (WT), both based on true events and characters, are set to begin shooting in spring and expected to be delivered later this year.

    Both series are the next stage of the long-standing partnership between Beta and Atresmedia. With their unique blend of emotion and suspense based in a combination of lush, often historic settings with trademark dramatic storytelling, the shows have been sold to more than 100 territories around the globe with multiple remakes in various countries.

    Beta Film’s EVP Acquisitions & Sales Christian Gockel: “With Morocco – Love in Times of War (WT) and Farinia – Snow on the Atlantic (WT), Atresmedia and Bambu have raised the bar yet again by taking the unique blend of romance and drama we know so well from outperforming predecessors like ‘Velvet’ to true-to-life characters and dramatic historic backdrops. We are extremely proud of being partners in this ongoing success story from its early days through to today.”

    Atresmedia Television director of acquisitions and sales Mercedes Gamero said, “After the international success of “Grand Hotel” and “Velvet” we at Atresmedia are very proud of this agreement with Beta Film for these projects. We are confident Series Atresmedia continues its international development as a label of quality, presenting universal stories around the world as a leading factory of Spanish content.”

    Morocco – Love in Times of War (WT) is set in 1921s war-torn Spanish Morocco where a group of young, upper class nurses seeking to find valid cause in their lives clash with their lower class but more achieved colleagues already on the scene. Arriving in the northeastern Moroccan city of Melilla, they find the city assaulted by local rebels and retreating Spanish troops in need of medical care. Among the new arrivals is 25 year-old Julia who, devoid of any nursing experience, has conned her way to Morocco search for her fiancé Andrés and brother Pedro, both missing in action. Love triangles and dramatic downstairs-upstairs conflicts abound among nurses and doctors, soldiers and locals in a lush and dramatic setting where love and life are won and lost by the whims of fate.

    The idyllic countryside of northwestern Spanish Atlantic Coast provides the backdrop of new the crime series Farinia – Snow on the Atlantic (WT). Framed by the 1990 true-to-fact razzia of almost the entire Galician drug cartel, the show depicts the dramatic transformation of simple but sly fisherman Sito into the prosperous, blood-stained, cocaine smuggler he became by providing the South American cocaine czars with the much desired entry gate to Europe for their packets of white powder resembling so much, in appearance, the locally produced flour, Farinia – Snow on the Atlantic (WT).

    Morocco – Love in Times of War (WT) and Farinia – Snow on the Atlantic (WT) will be presented to the international audience by Beta at this fall’s MIPCOM in Cannes.