CAMPAIGN
UNHCR, the U.N. Refugee Agency, and TikTok have teamed for a music campaign promoting solidarity with refugees from Ukraine and beyond. The campaign begins with #TheWorldNeeds, a global hashtag challenge, the centerpiece of which is Dionne Warwick’s iconic track “What The World Needs Now (Is Love),” with the support of Warner Recorded Music, Warner Chappell Music and BMG. #TheWorldNeeds calls on creators, artists, and communities to spread a message of global support for refugees calling for safe and legal access to asylum for all. The campaign also includes a series of TikTok live concerts (May 4-7).
Warwick was originally part of UNHCR’s World Stars Festival in 1968, donating a track to raise funds for UNHCR. Warwick said: “When I supported the World Stars Festival over 50 years ago for UNHCR, there were fewer than four million refugees. Now, there are well over 85 million displaced globally. There has never been a more important time to stand in solidarity and show support for people around the world who have been forced to flee from their homes.”
A dedicated information page is available on TikTok with information on supporting and donating to UNHCR and show their solidarity with refugees. Donations will help fund UNHCR’s support for refugees, in the form of shelter, healthcare and nutrition, income generation, education, legal assistance and protection.
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Meanwhile, Ukrainian media holding Starlight Media has created a multimedia project Media Memorial to honor the memory of Ukrainian and foreign journalists, who have been killed during the conflict. Russia’s war in Ukraine has already taken the lives of 23 media workers not only from Ukraine, but from the rest of the world, including media workers from Fox News, Time and The Insider, with dozens more injured, missing or kidnapped. The Media Memorial team received facts from the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. The authors of the project have also collected memories of the dead from relatives and colleagues from around the world. Media Memorial was created with the support of partners Latvijas Radio, the Baltic Centre for Media Excellence and the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine.
SALES
Beta Cinema has closed multiple deals — including North America and China — for wartime drama “The Forger,” starring Louis Hofmann from Netflix’s hit series “Dark.” The film premiered at the Berlinale. All rights for North America have been sold to Kino Lorber, Palace Films picked up all rights for Australia and New Zealand. Beta also sold all rights for China (Huanxi Media Group), Hong Kong (Edko), Taiwan (Moviecloud), Spain (Vercine), former Yugoslavia (Discovery), and Scandinavia (Future Film). based on true events, “The Forger” tells the story of Cioma Schönhaus, a young Jewish man living in Berlin in the 1940s. Cioma won’t let anyone take away his zest for life, especially not the Nazis. Using the identity of a naval officer he created for himself, he throws himself into the city’s nightlife, and even finds a fragile hope for love during the darkest moments of the war. The film is written and directed by Maggie Peren, who received the German Film Award for “Before the Fall.” In 2011, she presented her second directorial work, “The Color of the Ocean” at Toronto. – Leo Barraclough
APPOINTMENT
Fremantle‘s Nordic production company Miso Film has hired Christian Rank as head of development and producer, reporting into CEO and producer Peter Bose. Starting in August, Rank will have a view across local and global productions, working on the development and production of scripted projects, bringing in IP and building a roster of creative talent. Rank was behind TV 2 series “Rita,” “Norskov,” “Warrior” and “Lucky Per.” As head of drama at DR, Rank was responsible for “When the Dust Settles,” “Cry Wolf,” “Doggystyle”, “Julefeber” and the latest season of “Borgen.”
FESTIVAL
Actor and presenter Rocío Muñoz Morales will host the opening and closing nights of the 79th Venice International Film Festival 2022 within La Biennale di Venezia, directed by Alberto Barbera. Morales will open the festival on Aug. 31 on the Sala Grande stage and will host the closing ceremony on Sept. 10, when the winners of the Lions and other official prizes of the festival will be announced. The Madrid-born actor debuted in Spanish TV and made her Italian debut with Paolo Genovese’s 2012 film “Immaturi – Il Viaggio” and since 2013 has been the protagonist of Rai1 series “Un passo dal cielo.” Credits also include “All Roads Lead To Rome” (2016), alongside Sarah Jessica Parker (2016) and “They Talk To Me” (2021). In May 2022, she will feature in Mediaset TV series “Justice For All” by Maurizio Zaccaro and in the Sky film “(Im)perfetti criminali” by Alessio Maria Federici.
