First Look: ‘Bridgerton’ Star Phoebe Dynevor in ‘The Colour Room’ – Global Bulletin
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In today’s Global Bulletin, Sky releases “The Colour Room” first look; BBC sets pandemic series “Extra Life”; Oble sells Portuguese drama “3 Women”; IFFSA Toronto launches talent fund; the Writers Lab U.K. & Ireland announces mentors; and MWC Barcelona allows international visitors.
Sky has released a first look image of “Bridgerton” star Phoebe Dynevor from upcoming Sky original film, “The Colour Room,” where she stars alongside Matthew Goode.
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The film charts the rise to fame of Stoke-on-Trent ceramic artist Clarice Cliff, played by Dynevor. Cliff, a determined working-class woman in the 1920s, broke the glass ceiling and revolutionized the workplace in the 20th century, while becoming one of the greatest Art Deco designers.
The cast also includes Goode (“The Imitation Game”), David Morrissey (“The Walking Dead”), Darci Shaw (“Judy”), Kerry Fox (“Rare Beasts”) and Luke Norris (“Poldark”).
Co-produced by Sky, Caspian Films and Creative England, the film will be directed by Claire McCarthy (“Ophelia”) and is written by Claire Peate.
It will be released in cinemas, Sky Cinema and streaming service NOW later this year.
SERIES
Historian and broadcaster David Olusoga (“Black & British: A Forgotten History”) and best-selling author Steven Johnson (“The Ghost Map”) will present four-part BBC Four series “Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer.”
Set in the context of the current COVID-19 crisis, the series explores the lessons learned from previous global pandemics, and reveals how scientists, doctors, self-experimenters and activists launched a public health revolution, saving millions of lives, fundamentally changing how we think about illness and ultimately paving the way for modern medicine.
The series is a Nutopia production for the BBC and PBS, executive produced by Jane Root, Nicola Moody, Fiona Caldwell and Steven Johnson, and directed by Duncan Singh, Helen Sage, Tristan Quinn, David Alvarado and Jason Sussberg. The BBC commissioning editor is Mandy Chang.
SALES
Oble has taken on global sales of RTP‘s 13-part Portuguese hit period drama “3 Women” and has secured a first international sale of the series to YLE in Finland, who will premiere it in the fall.
Produced by Portuguese studio David & Golias, the series is based on the lives of writer Natália Correia, publisher Snu Abecassis, and journalist Vera Lagoa (the pseudonym of Maria Armanda Falcão) and their contribution to culture and civil rights in Portugal. The series takes viewers through the last years of the Portuguese dictatorship, the ‘Estado Novo’, between 1961 and 1973, from the beginning of the Colonial War to the eve of the April 1974 Revolution.
The cast includes Soraia Chaves, Maria João Bastos and Victoria Guerra. After the success of season 1 on RTP1, the Portuguese public broadcaster recently confirmed the commissioning of Season 2.
TALENT FUND
Toronto’s International Film Festival of South Asia has launched the IFFSA Talent Fund initiative aimed at supporting South Asian Canadian filmmakers. In the first year, the fund will distribute up to CAD$75,000 ($60,000) in total to five films that are 10 to 15 minutes in length with a focus on South Asian Canadian experiences.
Supported by Telefilm Canada and other private partners, the fund will allow filmmakers to overcome systemic barriers by providing them with the resources needed to bring their creative visions to life.
IFFSA Toronto is the largest South Asian film festival in North America. The fund will make selections on an annual basis, and will be accepting applications for 2021 from April until mid-July.
MENTORS
Producer Tanya Qureshi (“I May Destroy You”); actor-producer Ruth Wilson (“His Dark Materials”); screenwriter-producer Abby Ajayi (“How To Get Away With Murder”); showrunner Angela Kang (“The Walking Dead”); actor-writer-producer Sharon Horgan (“Motherland”); and screenwriter Meg LeFauve (“Captain Marvel”) are among the guest mentors for the Writers Lab U.K. & Ireland’s script development program for women over 40.
The initiative is co-founded by Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon in partnership with U.K. development producers Julia Berg and Ruth Spencer of Untamed Stories and supported by Dirty Films, the production company headed by Cate Blanchett, Andrew Upton and Coco Francini with development producer Georgie Pym.
Submissions are open now until April 20 and the program runs virtually June 10-13.
CONGRESS
The GSMA, an industry organization that represents the interests of mobile network operators worldwide, has secured an agreement with the Spanish government to allow in-person international attendance at its annual connectivity industry jamboree MWC in Barcelona.
Whilst there is a current denial of entry to Spain for any national from a country outside the EU, exceptions apply to specific groups of people, including “highly qualified workers.” The decision from the Spanish government now includes MWC21 Barcelona registrants in this category.
The MWC will pass on details of registered participants to the Spanish government who will ensure that they are allowed to enter the country. However, individuals residing in high risk COVID-19 countries, as determined by the Spanish government, will not be permitted to attend.
MWC runs June 28 through July 1.
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