‘Land Of Mine’ Scoops Early EFAs; Sky Ups Zai Bennett To UK Entertainment Chief – Global Briefs
The European Film Awards take place officially on December 10, but the first seven winners have been unveiled today. The categories now decided include Cinematography, Editing, Design, Costumes, Hair & Make-Up, Music and Sound. Leading this first round is Denmark’s Land Of Mine which is the country’s entry for the Foreign Language Oscar and will be distributed domestically by Sony Pictures Classics. The war drama took the prize for Camilla Hjelm Knudsen’s cinematography, Stefanie Bieker’s costume design and Barbara Kreuzer’s hair and make-up. Also in the mix of winners today are Anne Østerud and Janus Billeskov Jansen for editing Thomas Vinterberg’s The Commune; Alice Normington’s production design on Sarah Gavron’s Suffragette; Ilya Demutsky’s score on Russia’s The Student; and Radosław Ochnio for sound design on Jerzy Skolimowski’s 11 Minutes.
Zai Bennett, head of premium drama channel Sky Atlantic, is taking on the newly-created position of Director of Programmes for Sky Entertainment UK and Ireland. Gary Davey, Sky’s Managing Director of Content, made the announcement today. Bennett will take on overall leadership of the UK Entertainment team while retaining responsibility for Sky Atlantic (The Young Pope). He will be supported by Jamie Morris who takes on the new position of Channel Editor, Sky Atlantic and continues overseeing scheduling for Sky Arts and Sky Atlantic.
ITV has ordered four-part drama Bancroft for ITV Encore. Produced by the ITV Studios drama label, Tall Story Pictures, Bancroft explores what happens when heinous crimes, long buried in the past, come back to haunt us. The series is written and created by Kate Brooke (Mr Selfridge), who also executive produces alongside Tall Story’s Francis Hopkinson. Set in a busy northern city, Bancroft centers on Detective Chief Inspector Elizabeth Bancroft who has given her life to the police force. Courageous and ruthless, she’s trusted and adored by her colleagues and a promotion to Detective Chief Superintendent looks assured while she’s leading an operation to bring down the pernicious and vicious Kamara gang. Meanwhile, Detective Katherine Stevens is an ambitious, fast-tracked recruit who has had an affair with a married police officer. When she is assigned to cold cases, she unwittingly disturbs the ghosts of the past, throwing the lives of her colleagues into jeopardy. Bancroft will be filmed on location in Manchester and Leeds during spring 2017.
Lionsgate has extended its relationship with Studiocanal in German-speaking markets to cover titles from its Summit Entertainment label. Studiocanal already distributes Lionsgate’s films in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and will kick off the Summit deal with Otto Bathurst’s adventure film Robin Hood: Origins. Studiocanal has established a strong track-record for distributing Lionsgate films in Germany including all four chapters of the Hunger Games franchise, Sicario and the studio’s Saw franchise. The companies’ multifaceted relationship also includes Lionsgate’s distribution of Studiocanal’s library in North America and Lionsgate’s North American distribution of Studiocanal’s upcoming Liam Neeson-starrer The Commuter. Lionsgate has also pacted with Tele München Gruppe, which has a current output deal to release Summit movies, on the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced war/action drama Horse Soldiers; sci-fi thriller Kin from the Baker brothers; and thriller Down A Dark Hall from Twilight producer Stephenie Meyer.
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