Sci-Fi Adventure ‘Timescape’ Deals; Mediawan Sets New Boomerang TV CEO; MBC Group Bolsters Anime Activities – Global Briefs

Aristomenis Tsirbas’s ‘Timescape’ Sells Worldwide
Budapest-based sales outfit Luminescence has unveiled a slew of deals for Canadian director Aristomenis Tsirbas’s adventure film Timescape. Newcomers Sofian Oleniuk and Lola Rossignol-Arts star as two youngsters who travel back in time to prehistoric times, where they encounter dinosaurs while trying to escape from an approaching asteroid. Luminescence took the film to the EFM where it secured deals to Australia (Eagle), France (Factoris), Hungary (ADS), Italy (Plaion), Japan (Nikkatsu), Korea (Yejilim), Latin America (Leda Films), CIS (,Nashe Kino), Middle East (Front Row), South Africa (Filmfinity) in Taiwan (Cola Films) and the UK (Dazzler). The film was released theatrically in Canada via TVA Films in late 2022. XYZ Films acquired all U.S. rights earlier this year. The film was produced by David-Alexandre Coiteux at Fullum Films and Faisal Toor at Empress Road Pictures.

Mediawan Appoints New Boomerang TV CEO
Mediawan has appointed Jorge Pezzi as CEO of Boomerang TV. He replaces co-founders Pedro Ricote and Juan José Diaz, who created the company 25 years ago. Pezzi arrives from his production company LaCoproductora which he created in 2018 and is now part of the Prisa Group. His executive producer credits include Movistar+’s original format El Cielo Puede Esperar, La Sexta’s Palo y Astilla and HBO’s Por H o por B. He also headed film projects such as Cámera café, La Película and the feature doc Journey To Somewhere. Mediawan acquired Boomerang TV in 2020 as part of its push into Spain. Mediawan said Pezzi will take up his post in April with a mission to expand Boomerang’s catalogue and strengthen its position as a major player in the Spanish audiovisual market. Ricote and Díaz paid tribute to the team at Boomerang TV as they moved on. “It would not have been possible to build during those past 25 years such a strong expertise in fiction and non-fiction content without them. It has been a chance to contribute and foster the development of the Spanish audiovisual industry and its growth.”

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MBC Group Teams With Tokyopop On Anime Division
Riyadh-based Middle East and North Africa media and entertainment giant MBC Group is joining forces with Japanese anime specialist Tokyopop on the creation of new entity MBC Anime. Tokyopop founder and CEO Stu Levy is leading the new venture. MBC Anime will commission, produce, and invest in a series of anime titles.  The initiative is part of MBC Group’s ongoing push into anime. “Anime and manga are incredibly popular in the Middle East and North Africa, with Saudi Arabia being the leader in terms of viewership in the region. In recent years, there has been a huge increase in events and activities related to this art form,” said MBC Group CEO Sam Barnett.

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