ITV

Tag: Greece

  • Cake adds some icing with Anna Pokorska as sales manager

    Cake adds some icing with Anna Pokorska as sales manager

    MUMBAI: Cake, the London-based kids’ content powerhouse, has appointed Anna Pokorska as sales manager, handing her the reins to key territories across Europe and beyond. Pokorska will be baking up international sales across Italy, Benelux, Central and Eastern Europe, Greece, Turkey and Israel for Cake’s hit slate—including Angry Birds, Total Drama Island, Lucas the Spider, Talking Tom Heroes: Suddenly Super and Armorsaurs.

    Reporting to Cake managing director of distribution Dominic Gardiner, Pokorska joins with a deep track record in animation, kids’ content and feature film distribution. She’s worn several high-level hats—SVP of sales at GFM Animation, global distribution lead at Wizart Animation, regional boss at Interfilm for Warner Bros., and casting lead at HBO CIS. Lately, she’s been consulting for MK2 Films and producing both animated and documentary projects.

    “We’re excited to have Anna join the team at Cake . Her experience in animation and strong industry relationships make her a great fit as we continue to grow our global reach,” said Gardiner.

    Pokorska said, “I’m thrilled to be joining the company I’ve admired for as long as I can remember—a true pioneer in kids’ entertainment. It’s an honour to contribute to Cake’s continued growth and help its fantastic shows reach new audiences around the world.”

    As Cake dishes up hits to kids across continents, Pokorska’s appointment adds more firepower to its global growth recipe.

  • Indus Vox Media to highlight Tuscany as food and wine destination

    Indus Vox Media to highlight Tuscany as food and wine destination

    MUMBAI: Indus Vox Media has launched a new travel show titled The Drinks and Destinations Podcast. The podcast will release a new episode every Friday and will feature locations such as Tuscany, Greece, Mexico, Rajasthan, Portugal and get an insight into their wines and cultures.

    The next episode goes live on 21 October and will provide a look at Tuscany as a great food and wine destination.

    With hosts Rojita Tiwari and Sameera Khan who will help to sail through a casual boozy brunch, a posh cocktail party, and a wine and cheese luncheon, while offering tips on a craft beer 101 or a trip to an exotic destination.

    “Our attitude towards travel has changed drastically over the last few years. We are now traveling a lot more and have opened up in terms of our choices and interests when it comes to travel destinations. With ‘Drinks and Destinations’ we want to give our listeners essential and interesting information and tid-bits that they won’t find anywhere as they all come from personal experiences. Our first episode received a great response and we can’t wait to see the audience reaction to what we have in store for them!” said Indus Vox Media founder and CEO Amit Doshi.

    The first episode went live on 14 October which gave listeners a sneak peek into the world and experience of global brand ambassador of Sula Vineyards – Cecilia Oldne.

  • Indus Vox Media to highlight Tuscany as food and wine destination

    Indus Vox Media to highlight Tuscany as food and wine destination

    MUMBAI: Indus Vox Media has launched a new travel show titled The Drinks and Destinations Podcast. The podcast will release a new episode every Friday and will feature locations such as Tuscany, Greece, Mexico, Rajasthan, Portugal and get an insight into their wines and cultures.

    The next episode goes live on 21 October and will provide a look at Tuscany as a great food and wine destination.

    With hosts Rojita Tiwari and Sameera Khan who will help to sail through a casual boozy brunch, a posh cocktail party, and a wine and cheese luncheon, while offering tips on a craft beer 101 or a trip to an exotic destination.

    “Our attitude towards travel has changed drastically over the last few years. We are now traveling a lot more and have opened up in terms of our choices and interests when it comes to travel destinations. With ‘Drinks and Destinations’ we want to give our listeners essential and interesting information and tid-bits that they won’t find anywhere as they all come from personal experiences. Our first episode received a great response and we can’t wait to see the audience reaction to what we have in store for them!” said Indus Vox Media founder and CEO Amit Doshi.

    The first episode went live on 14 October which gave listeners a sneak peek into the world and experience of global brand ambassador of Sula Vineyards – Cecilia Oldne.

  • International co-production by Lebanese filmmaker gets top award at Edinburgh

    International co-production by Lebanese filmmaker gets top award at Edinburgh

    NEW DELHI: Mahdi Fleifel‘s A world not ours (Lebanon/UAE/Denmark/UK) has received the best film award in the International Competition of the 67th Edinburgh International Film Festival.

    The film had its British premiere at this year‘s festival. The award is given to filmmakers from outside United Kingdom in recognition of their imagination and innovation. Acclaimed South Korean director Bong Joon-ho chaired the international feature film competition jury, which also included actress Natalie Dormer and film critic Siobhan Synnot.

    The award ceremony concluded the twelve-day festival, and the ceremony was hosted by Grant Lauchlan, producer and presenter of stv‘s Moviejuice. 

    The jury also gave a special mention to Elias Giannakakis‘ Joy (Greece) and appreciated the outstanding performance by Amalia Moutousi.

    The Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film went to Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel‘s Leviathan (UK/USA/France), which received its UK premiere at the festival. A visually stunning documentary, it wins one of the longest-running film awards in the UK, honouring imagination and creativity in British filmmaking.

    The winner was chosen by the Michael Powell Jury, chaired by eminent Iranian director Samira Makhmalbaf and including actor and director Kevin McKidd and renowned film critic Derek Malcolm.

    The jury awarded a special commendation to Paul Wright‘s For Those In Peril for its passionate portrayal of a young Scots survivor of a tragedy at sea.

    The Award for Best Performance in a British Feature Film was shared by Jamie Blackley and Toby Regbo for their performances as the dysfunctional schoolboys in uwantme2killhim? The performance awards were voted for by the Michael Powell Award Competition Jury.

    Reinstated in 2013 after a two-year absence, The Audience Award, supported by Sainsbury‘s Bank, went to Fire In The Night (UK) directed by Anthony Wonke for his deeply moving documentary detailing the 1988 Piper Alpha disaster in the North Sea. The film, which received its world premiere at the festival, skillfully combines archival footage, audio recordings and interviews with some of the 61 survivors of the disaster, some of whom are interviewed for the very first time.

    GHL by Lotte Schreiber won the Award for Best Short Film in the shorts category. The prize was one of the three awards bestowed by the short film competition jury, which included International Film Festival Rotterdam programmer Inge de Leeuw (chair), film critic Christoph Huber and independent film programmer Ricardo Matos Cabo.

    The award for creative innovation in a short film, given for the first time this year, was awarded to Doll Parts by Muzi Quawson, as voted for by the Shorts Jury.

    Another newly introduced award within the shorts category, The Award for Outstanding Individual Contribution to a Short Film, which celebrates imaginative and innovative work in short cinema, was awarded to Josh Gibson as Director of Photography of Light Plate, which he also directed.

    The jury also gave a special mention to three filmmakers whose work holds great promise for the future: Charlotte Rabate for Lucille In the Sky; Ivan Castineiras for The Border; and Anna Frances Ewert for Endless Day.

    As voted for by the audience, The McLaren Award for Best New British Animation, supported by the British Council, went to Marilyn Myller by director Mikey Please and co-animator Dan Ojari. Named after Scottish-born filmmaker Norman McLaren, the McLaren Award is the longest running award celebrating creativity amongst UK animation talent. The award was presented by Richard Williams, widely regarded as one of the world‘s greatest animators.

    The Student Critics Jury Award, supported by Morag and James Anderson, was awarded to Celestial Wives of the Meadow Mari by Alexey Fedorchenko. The award was determined by a jury of seven aspiring film critics, Lewis Camley, Ruth Swift-Wood, Kathryn Craigmyle, Phil Kennedy, Catarina Mourao, Rebecca Lily Bowen and Vivek Santayana, who took part in a workshop on film criticism at EIFF under the guidance of Kate Taylor (Independent Cinema Office), Gabe Klinger (independent film critic and programmer) and Nick James (editor, Sight & Sound).

  • Political thriller Shanghai almost ready

    Political thriller Shanghai almost ready

    MUMBAI: With his ambitious political thriller Shanghai almost ready, Dibakar Banerjee will soon fly to Greece to show his film to author Vassilis Vassilikos on whose novel ‘Z’ the film is based.

    Ideally, Banerjee would have liked the author to come down to India to watch the film. But if that is not possible, considering the author‘s age, the director is all set to fly down to Greece to show his film.

    “The author has every right to see what has been done to his work, and in what context,” feels Banerjee. “It‘s amazing how relevant Vassilikos‘ novel
    is to present day Indian politics although he wrote it 45 years ago. He must see the deep and far-reaching resonance of his words. He is now a sprightly 78. But if he can‘t come to India, I‘d most certainly take Shanghai to Greece for his viewing.”

    Dibakar also plans to screen the film at Greece‘s Thessaloniki International Film Festival in November.

  • Academy foreign-language film race hoting up

    Academy foreign-language film race hoting up

    MUMBAI: The Academy’s foreign-language race is gradually picking up steam with entries from Romania, Morocco and Venezuela to join Greece and Poland this year.
     
    Under Academy rules, each country is allowed to submit a single film; a lengthy screening process narrows the field from several dozen (65 last year) to nine and then two hand-picked committees choose the final five nominees.
    Greece had sprung a surprise nominee last year with its entry Dogtooth, and Romania too had a strong entry in 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days that was grossly overlooked.
     
    Last year Greece got the Oscar race’s strangest and most controversial nomination with Dogtooth and the country appears to have gone back to the same well with a film produced by Dogtooth director Yorgos Lanthimos and directed by the film’s producer Tsangari
     
    Greece will get Attenberg directed by Anthin Rachel Tsangari followed by the Moroccan entry Omar Killed Me. While Poland will pitch in with In Darkness, Romania will get Morgen.

  • Rainbow Media signs deals for Mag Rack Vod content

    Rainbow Media signs deals for Mag Rack Vod content

    MUMBAI: US media firm Rainbow Media Holdings has added international broadcasters to the growing reach of its Mag Rack video-on-demand (Vod) content.

    The latest round of deals delivers several Mag Rack titles into the UK, Sweden, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and the Middle East. Continuing Rainbow’s international expansion, the deals represent 319 VOD segments.
    Launched in 2001 in the US, Mag Rack is an on-demand television service, delivering made-for-Vod programming. Mag Rack is available to 12 million on-demand customers in 50 US markets, and several of its series were sold into Scandinavia, Hungary and Greece earlier this year.

    iD MD Sally Miles says, “Our continued momentum with Rainbow’s stable of brands is truly a testament to the international appeal of this top-quality programming. With Mag Rack, buyers are getting a rich array of series that speak to the diverse tastes of their viewers’ evolving, on-the-go lifestyles. Mag Rack is a truly progressive brand to be working with in the VOD marketplace.”

    The newest round of international Mag Rack deals includes:

    Inside Weddings has been Sold to Wedding TV (UK), TV7 (Sweden), Club Channel (Poland & Hungary), CTC Domashy Network (Russia) and Spektrum (Czech Republic). The show has advice on everything from gowns and formal wear, flowers and photography to places to celebrate.

    Mama Gena has been sold to TV7 (Sweden) and Club Channel (Central & Eastern Europe). In this “school of womanly arts,” Mama Gena’s lessons teach women to take control of their power of pleasure to have their way with the world and men, with each episode offering new tips and techniques.

    Eight segments of Wild Wheels have been sold to TV4 (Sweden) and 24 sold to Prava/Prevodi (Bosnia & Herzegovina). This series takes viewers into a world of crazy cars—rock crawlers, aqua cars, modified stretch limos, mud/ice racers and more—for a drive on the wild side.

    Let’s Go Garden has been sold to ACE (Russia). Let’s Go Garden, hosted by Jackie Albarella. This focusses on the practical side of gardening with projects real people can achieve whether a beginning gardener or a passionate green thumb.

    Motorcycle Freedom has been sold to Ananey (Israel). These short segment programs take viewers onto the open road with a virtual ride on some of the latest superbikes.

  • MIH Group forays into Indian internet and digital space

    MIH Group forays into Indian internet and digital space

    MUMBAI: MIH, part of the multinational media group Naspers Limited, is making a foray into the Indian internet and digital space.

    “MIH plans to develop internet and mobile applications for the growing online Indian market. India is an attractive market, which is forecast to show strong economic growth going forward. Internet penetration which is currently only at 4.5 per cent is expected to grow rapidly over the next five to ten years offering many opportunities in online communication. MIH seeks to capitalise on these opportunities in the long run by building strong online communication platforms. MIH Internet’s first office will be based in Gurgaon, Haryana,” said spokesperson for MIH Internet (India) Craig White.

    MIH operates pay television and internet subscriber platforms and related technologies in over 50 countries. Its significant operations are located in South Africa, elsewhere in Africa, Brazil, China, Thailand, The Netherlands, Greece and Cyprus. Given the huge growth in the internet and mobile VAS space in India, the group is now planning investments here.

    The group would be launching a range of innovative applications in the Indian internet and mobile space. Its aim is to create a personal reference world of entertainment and information, which can be accessed wherever you are, whenever you want.

    MIH creates media content, builds brand names around it, and manages the platforms distributing the content. The content is delivered in a variety of forms and through a variety of channels, including television platforms and internet services.

    With a view to expand offices across the nation, the group plans to set up its first office in Gurgaon and hire talent for various functions ranging from engineering, R&D, technology, creative, marketing, sales, support etc.

    The MIH group is exploring media opportunities in emerging markets where strong economic growth is expected. Within emerging markets the specific focus is on the BRICSA countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and the rest of sub-Saharan Africa.

    In China, the group has an investment in the pioneer instant messaging platform, Tencent, which is a developer and operator of innovative real-time communication and online entertainment technologies and services. Tencent’s instant messaging product, QQ, processes more than three billion messages every day and is one of the top 10 portals globally.