STREAMING
Netflix has renewed International Emmy-winning hit Indian series “Delhi Crime” for a third season. The streamer’s India operation has also renewed “Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives,” “Kota Factory,” “Mismatched” and “She” for third seasons.
Netflix India has also commissioned a documentary on the life of hip hop artist and rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh who will deep-dive into the reasons behind his sudden disappearance at the peak of his career. The documentary will be directed by Mozez Singh (Disney+ Hotstar series “Human”) and produced by Guneet Monga and Achin Jain‘s Sikhya Entertainment, 2023 Oscar winners for “The Elephant Whisperers.”
“Yo Yo Honey Singh took over the Indian music industry by storm. His music resonated with the youth. Singh was a star even before he garnered limelight in the press. His tumultuous journey with fame intrigued a whole nation, and us at Sikhya,” Monga said.
LICENSING DEAL
Beta Group and Australian public broadcaster SBS have extended their ongoing partnership and have agreed on a multi-year license deal.
SBS gains access to multiple series and films from Beta’s extensive catalog on an annual basis. Event series “Sisi” headlines SBS’ first selection, alongside 2022’s Canneseries entry “El Inmortal – Gangs of Madrid” and MIPDrama 2022 winner “House of Promises.”
Also included in the first slate of series titles are the crime drama “Divided We Stand,” set in a newly united Germany, and “Silent Road,” a suspenseful crime drama from Greece. Further, the German series “Breaking Point” is part of the deal, a show where each episode follows the individual fates of five characters and asks the question: Who went on a killing spree in a shopping mall?
In addition, there is the coming-of-age story of a young soccer player, “Golden Boy,” as well as the biographical limited series “De Gaulle” and the third instalment of “The Wall.”
Also included are the critically acclaimed feature film “My Little Sister,” starring Nina Hoss and Lars Eidinger, the Romy Schneider biopic “3 Days in Quiberon,” and World War I thriller “Hinterland” by Oscar-winning director Stefan Ruzowitzky.
INVESTMENT
Content studio The Story Collective has made its first investments into scripted production companies – Artis Pictures, led by drama producer Kate Croft, and Maia Pictures, helmed by ex-Channel 4 commissioner Rachel Springett.
Artis previously had a first look deal with Lookout Point and BBC Worldwide, followed by a co-development/production deal with BBC Studios where they produced new talent strand “The Break” for the BBC. Artis’ first long form series was period fashion saga “The Collection,” produced for Amazon Prime and France Television.
Springett commissioned first time writers and launched the careers of Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Crashing”), Michaela Coel (“Chewing Gum”), Mae Martin (“Feel Good”) and Nida Manzoor (“We Are Lady Parts”). She also produced BAFTA-winning shows “Toast of London” and “Peep Show.”
The Story Collective will provide strategic, commercial, and operational support, as well as development funding, to both companies. Its first scripted commission, Steven Knight‘s 12-part series “A Thousand Blows” (working title), starring and executive produced by Stephen Graham for Disney+, is underway.
ACQUISITION
The BBC has acquired acclaimed Australian romantic comedy“Colin from Accounts,” which will be available on BBC Two and iPlayer later this year. Created, written by and starring Patrick Brammall (“Offspring”) and Harriet Dyer (“The Invisible Man”), the eight-part series centres on Ashley and Gordon who are brought together by a car accident and an injured dog.
It is directed by Trent O’Donnell (“Review with Myles Barlow”), Matt Moore (“The Great”) and Madeleine Dyer (“Neighbourhood Wars”), and executive produced by Brammall, Dyer, O’Donnell, Alison Hurbert-Burns (“Love Me”), Brian Walsh (“John Wick”), Rob Gibson (“Bloom”) and Ian Collie (“Saving Mr Banks”).
“Colin from Accounts,” commissioned for the Foxtel Group in Australia, is produced by Easy Tiger Productions and CBS Studios and was acquired by the BBC from Paramount Global Content Distribution.
RETRO
The British Film Institute and Italy’s Cinecittà have announced“Dario Argento: Doors Into Darkness” a major month-long retro featuring restored works by the Italian horror maestro that will run May 1-30 in London.
The retro features the U.K.-premieres of 17 new 4K Argento restorations, including his debut“The Bird With The Crystal Plumage(1970); whodunit ”The Cat O’ Nine Tails(1971); Freudian nightmare“Deep Red”(1975); his recently remade masterpiece“Suspiria”(1977); meta giallo“Tenebrae”(1982); Argento’s only feature-length American production“Trauma”(1993) and more.
