STREAMING
Prime Video India has revealed a blockbuster lineup of Indian and international titles ahead of Prime Day 2023 on July 15 and 16. The lineup includes the Hindi-language version of “Ponniyin Selvan 2,” starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, “Babylon,” headlined by Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, Gerard Butler thriller “Kandahar” and Nawazuddin Siddiqui‘s Hindi-language drama-comedy “Tiku Weds Sheru.”
Hindi-language original horror series “Adhura,” headlined by Rasika Dugal, the final season of hit series “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” Tamil-language superhero film “Veeran” and Telugu-language family entertainer “Anni Manchi Sakunamule” are also part of the lineup as are Tamil-language series “Sweet Kaaram Coffee” that captures the journey of three women and Telugu-language Young Adult series “Hostel Days.”
The second season of the hit original series “The Summer I Turned Pretty” completes the lineup.
During this time, Prime members are eligible for discounts up to 50% discount when purchasing add-on subscriptions from the 18 streaming services available on Prime Video Channels. These include Lionsgate Play, Discovery+, Eros Now, Stingray All Good Vibes, Curiosity Stream, AMC+, ManoramaMAX, VR OTT, Hoichoi, MUBI, Docubay, Shorts TV, iWonder, Animax+GEM, My Zen TV, Acorn TV, Museum TV, and Nammaflix.
Dugal, who also stars in Prime Video’s “Mirzapur,” said: “Despite my natural tendency to get spooked easily, I was excited to be a part of ‘Adhura’ because of the opportunity to experiment with a new genre. ‘Adhura’ explores the delicate balance between human compassion and the unknown forces that lurk within. I’m glad to be back on Prime Video with a new genre and I am hoping audiences will resonate with the humanness of this story while enjoying the spookiness if it all.”
WEDDING ROWS
Non-scripted survival show “The Wedding War” will soon take to South Korean airwaves. The show takes ten engaged couples from various backgrounds on a transformative journey to prove their trust and love. Each couple has an extraordinary story, which will emerge as the knockout rounds progress. A teaser seen by PvNew, shows the couples face intense struggles, taking on physical challenges and undergoing lie detector tests. They are also shown in full wedding attire. The show, which airs from Sunday, was co-created by acclaimed mega-hit creators Lee Won-woong, behind the military survival genre with “Steel Troops” and Kang Sook-kyung, power behind Netflix’s “Physical: 100,” which is now heading for a second season.
SOUTH BOARD
The South Australian Film Corporation has appointed acclaimed producer Rachel Gardner to the SAFC board. Her recent credits include Thomas M. Wright’s film “The Stranger,” shot in South Australia with stars Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris, and which debuted in Un Certain Regard at Cannes last year. She was also creative lead producer on Warwick Thornton and Brendan Fletcher’s South Australian-made First Nations vampire hunter series “Firebite,” which launched AMC+ in Australia. She is creative director of Sony Pictures Television-backed Curio Pictures, where she oversees all creative aspects of its scripted slate. Previously she spent seven years at See-Saw Films, most recently as head of drama.
HOMECOMING
The Melbourne International Film Festival has set “Shayda” as its opening night title. The film is the feature debut by Tehran-born, Melbourne-raised director, Noora Nissari. It premiered in Sundance earlier this year and also plays as the closing film in Locarno in August. It is set in Melbourne and was executive produced by Cate Blanchett’s Dirty Films.
TRUSTEES
The Grierson Trust, which celebrates the best of documentary and factual filmmaking from Britain and around the world, has appointed four new trustees following an open call for applications to join its board. The new trustees are Louisa Compton, head of news and current affairs and specialist factual and sport, Channel 4; Harjeet Chhokar, unscripted development executive, Amazon Studios; Sreya Biswas, head of natural history, BBC Commissioning; and Amali de Silva, controller, legal and compliance, Channel 4. This follows the recent appointment of Tanya Motie, co-lead of the TV Access Project and former Channel Executive for BBC One and Three, who took up her role as a trustee in January.
AWARDS
WME agent Lucy Dickins, who represents artists including Adele, Mumford & Sons and Stormzy, is set to be honored at this year’s Music Industry Trusts Award (MITS) at a gala ceremony in London on Nov. 6. The ceremony is held in aid of two U.K. charities: The BRIT Trust and Nordoff & Robbins.
“Lucy’s track record speaks for itself,” said MITS Award committee co-chair, Toby Leighton-Pope. “Adele, Olivia Rodrigo, Mumford and Sons, Laura Marling and so many others, all with whom she’s achieved extraordinary acclaim and success. That kind of impact on the industry is undeniable and her contributions continue to shape the industry landscape.”
4K RELEASE
Classics label Eureka Entertainment is set to release Orson Welles’ 1958 film noir masterpiece “Touch of Evil,” starring Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh, presented as part of its Masters of Cinema series in its U.K. Ultra HD Blu-ray debut. Available from Sept. 25, the limited-edition set (3000 copies only) will feature a hardbound slipcase and 100-page collectors book.
Heston portrays Mike Vargas, the Mexican chief of narcotics who sets out to uncover the facts surrounding a car bomb that has killed a wealthy American businessman on the U.S. side of the border. As Vargas investigates, his newly-wed wife Susie (Leigh) is kidnapped by a gang out to exact vengeance for the prosecution of the brother of their leader (Akim Tamiroff). Meanwhile, Vargas’ enquiries become progressively more obfuscated by the American cop Hank Quinlan (Welles), a besotted incarnation of corruption who alternately conspires with Susie’s captors and seeks solace in the brothel of the Gypsy madame (Marlene Dietrich) who comforted him in bygone times.
