Lionel Messi Gets Animated With Sony Kids; Arabic-Language Asharq Discovery Launches; Camerimage Opener & AlUla Film Program Winners – Global Briefs

Melanie Goodfellow, Jesse Whittock and Zac Ntim
·3 min read
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Lionel Messi Gets Animated With Sony

Argentinian soccer star Lionel Messi has inspired an animated series from Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Picture Television – Kids. Messi and the Giants, which also counts Leo Messi Management as a co-creator, will launch at Mipcom next week. The series depicts a 12-year-old Messi as he confronts various obstacles while traveling a video game on a quest to get home. “Football is the only sport around the world that can inspire excitement and connection in the same way that storytelling does,” said Joe D’Ambrosia, EVP & General Manager, Sony Pictures Television – Kids. Story editor and writer Guy Toubes (Odd Squad) is attached to the project, while Canary Islands-based Atlantis Animation serves as the lead creative studio driving graphic development and art treatment.

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SRMG and Warner Bros. Discovery Launch Asharq Discovery

Riyadh-registered, pan-MENA integrated media group SRMG and Warner Bros. Discovery have partnered to launch Arabic-language infotainment platform Asharq Discovery. The new offering, which goes live today, will present programs from across the Warner Bros. Discovery catalogue. The inaugural line-up includes a number of shows never before seen in Arabic including Gold Rush, 90 Day Fiancé, Morgan Freeman’s Through the Wormhole, and Wheeler Dealers. The partnership also includes the co-production of up to 30 hours per year of original shows shows inspired by stories out of MENA. “Our partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery is testament to our ambition to produce and showcase award-winning, authentic content that captivates and inspires audiences both here in our region and across the globe. The launch is just the start; we have extremely ambitious plans for co-production, and I look forward to watching the platform’s growth,” said SRMG CEO Jomana R. Al-Rashid, CEO of SRMG.

Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘Poor Things’ To Open Camerimage Film Festival

Venice Golden Lion winner and awards season hot favorite Poor Things by Yorgos Lanthimos has been announced at the opening film of this year’s Camerimage Film Festival. The film’s cinematographer Robbie Ryan will introduce the screening. The pic stars Emma Stone as a young woman brought back to life by a brilliant and unorthodox scientist (Willem Dafoe), who then sets off to discover the world with a slick and debauched lawyer (Mark Ruffalo). Camerimage runs from November 11 to 18 in Torun, Poland.

AlUla Film Announces Winners Of Inaugural AlUla Creates: Film Program

AlUla Film, the film agency overseeing the creation of a film and TV ecosystem in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla World Heritage site, has unveiled the winners of its inaugural AlUla Creates: Film Program. They are Hana Alfasi, Maram Taibah as well as sisters Raneem and Dana Almohandes, whose concepts for a short film were selected out of 85 submissions. Under the program, the winners will be given support to transform their pitch into a 10-minute short film. The selection committee was composed of Saudi director Haifaa Al Mansour (The Perfect Candidate, Wadjda), James Richardson and Jane Moore of Vertigo Films (Monsters, Britannia, Bronson) and Roua Almadani of Film AlUla. “Since I started my career, we have witnessed a massive shift, and I have seen the Saudi film industry opening up and flourishing. As it continues to grow, it’s important to provide opportunities and guidance for local creatives to carve out their career on their own terms.” said Al Mansour.

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