News

Exclusive: Reda Elazouar has joined the ensemble of the Apple Original Films sequel to its hit movie The Family Plan starring Mark Wahlberg. Wahlberg will also produce the new movie, being directed by Simon Cellan Jones. Hailing from Skydance Media, the sequel also stars Michelle Monaghan, Kit Harington, Zoe Colletti and Van Crosby. The original premiered as the most-watched film on Apple TV+ following its debut last year.

Details around Elazouar’s role are being kept under wraps.

Penned by David Coggeshall, The Family Plan sequel takes place at Christmas in Europe where Dan has planned the perfect vacation for the Morgans, but his past continues to haunt them in unexpected ways. David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger will produce for Skydance, alongside Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson through Municipal Pictures. John G. Scotti will also produce. Cellan Jones is exec producing.

Elazouar is most known for his role in breakout film Pirates,...

Bafta’s talent programme, Bafta Elevate, has launched an initiative for creatives in documentary and specialist factual from underrepresented backgrounds.

Bafta has partnered with men’s fashion brand dunhill to deliver the two-year programme aimed at mid-senior development producers, producers, directors and producer-directors.

The 20 participants selected – 50% of which will be women - will have access to networking and industry exposure alongside a host of wider knowledge-building and focused professional development over two years.

Documentary filmmaker Asif Kapadia and presenter, actor and director Reggie Yates are among the creatives to endorse the programme.

The programme comes as a result of extensive...

BAFTA, film director Asif Kapadia (Amy, Senna, docu-fiction thriller 2073), TV host Reggie Yates (Reggie Yates: Extreme Russia, Reggie Yates: Insider), advocacy organization We Are Doc Women, and British luxury menswear house Dunhill are partnering on a BAFTA Elevate program to accelerate the careers of up to 20 mid-senior level creatives making documentary and specialist factual TV content and feature films.

Qualitative research conducted by BAFTA reveals “a narrowing of opportunity that risks diminishing the range of stories brought to our screens and those who get to deliver them,” the British academy said. “Designed in response to these findings, BAFTA and Dunhill today issue a call out for applications from development producers, producers, directors and producer directors from underrepresented groups within the industry including those from minority ethnic, disabled and/or low socio-economic backgrounds. Tapping into BAFTA’s unique community of 12,000 creative practitioners, BAFTA will offer networking and industry exposure alongside...

Fremantle Completes Asacha Deal

Fremantle has completed its big-money acquisition of Death in Paradise producer Asacha Media Group. The super-indie notified this morning that the deal, which was revealed several weeks ago, has gone through, and will see the Poor Things maker acquire the group from Asacha’s founding partners, managers and funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management. Fremantle hasn’t revealed how much Asacha cost but has said it has spent more than €200M ($216M) on both Asacha and 80% of Singapore’s Beach House Pictures since the start of this year. Fremantle takes hold of an eight-label group including Death in Paradise producer Red Planet, Arrow Media and Italy’s Stand By Me. Headquartered in Paris, France, Asacha will continue to be run by Co-Founder and Group CEO Gaspard de Chavagnac who will report to Fremantle’s Andrea Scrosati. De Chavagnac will continue to be supported by Marina Williams...

Director Raine Allen-Miller makes her acclaimed feature debut with this primary-coloured romance bursting with wit, grit and charm

British director Raine Allen-Miller, who became the toast of Sundance in January, has jokingly characterised her praise-laden debut feature (from a script by Nathan Bryon and Tom Melia) as a tale of two people spending a day together and having a lovely time. That’s a deceptively simple description of a hugely enjoyable romp that effortlessly combines the “limited time” romcom format of Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy with the in-your-face visual cheekiness of Peep Show. Unfolding against the vibrantly photographed backdrop of sunny south London locales, Rye Lane blends the warmth and charm of a formulaic love story with the colourfully street-smart grit of Brit pics such as Shola Amoo’s A Moving Image or more recently Reggie Yates’s Pirates, creating something that is at once playful, poignant and personal.

It is aimed at aspiring filmmakers with no industry connections.

Bafta, the British Film Institute (BFI) and the British Council have launched the Short Film Toolkit for aspiring filmmakers with no industry connections or knowledge to navigate the industry.

It includes insights from over 40 filmmakers, distributors, funders and festival programmers, including Leila Latif, Dionne Edwards and Savvas Stavrou.

Advice ranges from film festival strategies to funding and marketing recommendations and features case studies in documentary, animation, fiction, experimental & artist moving image, Xr and immersive.

Tim Hunter, executive director of talent, inclusion, learning and membership at Bafta, said: “Short video content...

The deadline for bids to buy the Filmhouse Edinburgh is tomorrow (December 7).

The ’Save the Filmhouse’ campaign has confirmed to Screen that it “hopes” to still put in a bid for for the purchase of the Edinburgh Filmhouse ahead of the deadline for bids on December 7.

A crowdfunding campaign was launched on November 16 to raise the estimated £2m needed to buy the Edinburgh Filmhouse building. As of December 6, it had raised £170,867.

The campaign has been spearheaded by former senior staff of the Filmhouse, ex-head of programming at Filmhouse Rod White; ex-head technician David Boyd; former programme manager James Rice; former...

Philip Barantini’s Boiling Point leads the way with six nominations.

The shortlist for The Big Screen Awards 2022 has been announced, with Philip Barantini’s Boiling Point leading the way with six nominations.

Two of the new categories, Breakthrough British Filmmaker and Actor, include the likes of Reggie Yates, Bella Ramsey, Honor Swinton Byrne and Jim Archer.

Companies nominated for this years awards include The Walt Disney Company, Picturehouse, Vue, Odeon, Altitude, Curzon, Lionsgate UK, Everyman Group, Cineworld, Sony Pictures, Mubi and BFI Distribution.

Scroll down for full nominations

The Big Screen Awards were rebranded from the Screen Awards, last...

FilmNation TV UK has hired a key BBC Studios drama exec as it builds out its slate. Martin Rakusen has joined Creative Director Kirstie Macdonald’s team as COO.

In the role, Rakusen will lead all business, operational and financial activity while building and maintaining strategic partnerships for the producer, which is a joint venture between FilmNation Entertainment and Viaplay Group.

He’ll work closely with Macdonald on funding, strategy and deal structures and finance plans. He also lead on international television distribution strategy, deal-making, and relationships, and lead business negotiations with IP owners, agents, commissioners, financiers, co-producers and distributors. At BBC Studios, he held a similar role, leading on strategic and commercial activities in drama and comedy.

Rakusen began his career at the BBC before moving to Rdf as Director, Commercial Development for Drama, Children’s and Branded Content. He then worked in LA for Shine International, latterly as...

The festival celebrates UK independent cinema and runs September 28 - October 2.

Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees Of Inisherin will screen at France’s Dinard Festival Of British Film (September 28 - October 2), with Sophie Hyde’s Good Luck To You, Leo Grande closing the event.

Both films will have their French premiere at the festival which is held on the coastal town of Dinard, France and celebrates independent cinema from the UK.

Scroll down for full line-up

McDonagh’s Ireland-set comedy drama recently premiered at Venice Film Festival and stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two lifelong friends hurtled into...

The film is inspired by Dwayne Fields, the first Black Briton to trek over 400 nautical miles to the North Pole.

UK filmmaker and broadcaster Reggie Yates is to write and direct biopic Poles Apart for Golden Gate Studios and Chrome Productions.

The film is inspired by the true story of Dwayne Fields who became the first Black Briton to trek over 400 nautical miles to the North Pole. Fields went on to co-found a charity that takes disadvantaged young people on life-changing expeditions.

Poles Apart is produced by Golden Gate Studios’ Nick Manzi and former Sony executive Luke Scrase, as well...

To mark the release of Pirates on 16th May, we’ve been given 2 copies to give away on Blu-ray.

New Year’s Eve 1999. Cappo, Two Tonne and Kidda drive through London in their tiny Peugeot 205, pumping a live UK garage set from the stereo and arguing about their Avirex jackets and Naf Naf imports. As the 18-year-olds step into adulthood they know their lives and friendships are on the brink of change. Determined to end the century on a bang they drive across the city in a desperate search for tickets for the best millennium party Ever. Packed with laughs and featuring a great soundtrack, Pirates is the outstanding debut feature from Reggie Yates.

Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only

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The Small Print

Open to UK residents only The competition will close 19th May 2022 at 23.59 GMT The winner will be picked at random...

Many people struggle with personal existentialist crises when they’re faced with oversweeping cultural changes and society places overbearing expectations on them to make swift decisions about their futures. The three young protagonists in the comedy, ‘Pirates,’ which is set in 1999, not only have to face cultural changes as the world prepares for the new […]

The post SXSW 2022 Interview: Reggie Yates, Reda Elazouar, Jordan Peters and Elliott Edusah Talk Pirates (Exclusive) appeared first on Shockya.com.

George Lucas’ American Graffiti may not have had the cross-cultural impact of Star Wars, but its structure––the endearingly aimless lives and loves of teenage protagonists over the course of a single night––continues to influence filmmakers around the world. One such example is the new film by Reggie Yates, a writer, director, actor, and TV presenter. His latest, Pirates, is most certainly a winner. Making its international premiere at South by Southwest 2022, the film is a very funny, often sweet, and well-acted trip to London on New Year’s Eve 1999.

This was, of course, the infamous “Y2K” New Year’s. And though there isn’t much talk of technological havoc at midnight, an appropriately end-of-century vibe runs throughout. Where Graffiti had the specter of Vietnam, Pirates is haunted more by a future of unyielding connectivity. Yates smartly drops in some humorous references––a character’s lack of awareness of Google,...

It’s our favourite night of the year! The 2021 BIFA awards took place this evening at Old Billingsgate in London. Hosted by People Just Do Nothing’s Asim Chaudhry, those attending include Emma Corrin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Joe Cole, Lucy Boynton, Jude Law, Harris Dickinson, Paapa Essiedu, Caitriona Balfe, Morfydd Clark, Riz Ahmed, Wumni Mosaku, Ruth Wilson, Stephen Graham and James Norton.

The 24th British Independent Film Awards saw Joanna Scanlan’s After Love take home a handful of awards, Clio Barnard’s Ali & Ava also did well – and there’s something wonderful in championing the very best in British Independent film – so, hey – we’re all winners here.*

David Sztypuljak and Scott Davis were our men at the event, asking questions.

You can see our interviews below, as well as a full list of tonight’s winners and nominees.

*Actual winners are below.

The 2021 BIFA Red Carpet Interviews

The...

Also opening: Disney’s ‘Encanto’, ‘Bad Luck Banging’.

Ridley Scott’s House Of Gucci and Reggie Yates’ Pirates head the openers at the UK-Ireland box office, in another bumper week of 17 theatrical debuts.

House Of Gucci is Scott’s second film to arrive in cinemas in six weeks, after medieval epic The Last Duel in mid-October.

Like that title, House Of Gucci tells a true story and boasts a stellar cast, led by Lady Gaga as Patrizia Reggiani, an ambitious woman who marries fashion heir Maurizio Gucci, played by Adam Driver. She pushes him to take over the family business,...

To celebrate the release of Pirates, the anticipated feature-film debut from Reggie Yates, we sat down with its writer/director and stars to find out about the brilliant new comedy set around the end of the millennium.

Set in London at the turn of the millennium, Pirates will take audiences on a hilarious journey back to New Year’s Eve 1999, reviving memories from the 90’s garage scene and Moschino fashion for pure nostalgic cinematic joy.

Written and directed by Yates, Pirates sees him tackle a feature for the first time after some work on shorts and documentaries and it’s a story that has been in his brain for a while and tells us how the film is both a celebration of his own growing pains and friendships as well as a look back at the world in 1999 and how much has changed. He tells he drew from the garage scene,...

Three young pirate radio DJs from London go in search of the New Year’s night of their lives in Yates’s likeable homage to 90s ensemble capers

Here is a likable and easygoing comedy from actor turned film-maker Reggie Yates. It’s a period piece set on New Year’s Eve 1999, featuring flip phones and someone frowning over a copy of the London A-z, muttering how good it would be if someone invented a navigation screen like the ones planes have. It’s also a playful homage to the one-crazy-night ensemble pictures of the 90s (although Yates avoids the freezeframe-voiceover character introductions that became a key cliche of Britfilm around that time), and there’s a clubbing theme that recalls Justin Kerrigan’s Human Traffic, which came out in 1999.

Three lads from London are preparing to enjoy themselves: Cappo (Elliot Edusah), Two Tonne (Jordan Peters) and Kidda (Reda Elzaouar...

The broadcaster and DJ makes his directorial debut with a comedy about UK garage fans trying to celebrate the turn of the millennium in style. He explains why it’s time to portray Black British youth with joy

When you consider the cornucopia of subcultures that have been fictionalised in film, it is criminal that the golden age of UK garage hasn’t yet had the cinematic treatment. This was a hyper-vibrant, multicultural scene, born and bred in mid-90s London during a brief economic boom, where jewel-toned satin shirts and rhinestone cowgirl hats ruled the dancefloor and rounds of “champers” were racked up at the bar. Its soundtrack – a form of US house music sped up with a twitchy restlessness – was a ruffneck-yet-futuristic, soulful-yet-boisterous blend that encapsulated the push and pull of the new millennium, before grime twisted Mc-led music into tougher shapes. Bold, brash songs such as Sticky’s Booo!

Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast” and Philip Barantini’s “Boiling Point” lead nominations at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), with 11 nods each.

Nominations for “Belfast,” Branagh’s autobiographical tale of life as a young boy in Belfast in 1969 in the midst of the Troubles, include best actress for Caitríona Balfe, best supporting actress for Judi Dench, best supporting actor for Ciarán Hinds and a breakthrough performance nomination for newcomer Jude Hill in addition to seven craft nominations.

Nominations for single take film “Boiling Point,” which follows an up-and-coming chef under extreme pressure, include best actor for Stephen Graham, best supporting actor for Ray Panthaki, best supporting actress for Vinette Robinson and a breakthrough performance nomination for Lauryn Ajufo.

Aleem Khan’s “After Love,” Prano Bailey-Bond’s “Censor” and Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir Part II” have nine nominations each, while Clio Barnard’s “Ali & Ava” has seven nominations, Sean Durkin...

Jodie Comer has won the Variety Outstanding Achievement Award at the 2021 Edinburgh TV awards. The award is in celebration of her work, which includes acclaimed U.K. dramas “Killing” Eve and “Help.”

Channel 4’s critically acclaimed hit “It’s A Sin” and Netflix’s global smash “Lupin” were awarded the national and international drama accolades respectively.

The cast of Channel 4’s “We Are Lady Parts” were presented with the Best Comedy Series award by this year’s Edinburgh TV Festival international editor, Tan France.

BBC One was crowned Channel of the Year, while Channel 4 won seven awards across the On Demand, Drama, Comedy, Actor, Factual and Breakthrough Talent categories.

Production Company of the Year was awarded to Bad Wolf and presented to Jane Tranter by “His Dark Materials” actor Amir Wilson.

The awards were presented in a digital ceremony hosted on the Edinburgh TV Festival’s Twitter handle by rising comedy star Kae Kurd,...

Variety Director to Watch Prano Bailey-Bond (“Censor”) and BAFTA-nominated “After Love” filmmaker Aleem Khan are among the 39 filmmakers longlisted in the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) new talent categories.

The 39 longlisted filmmakers will be invited to join BIFA’s Springboard scheme, a tailored program of professional development, peer-to-peer support, mentoring, networking and skills enhancement aimed to nurture emerging talent as they build on the success of their first features.

The final five nominations in each category will be announced on Nov. 3. Winners will be revealed at the ceremony on Dec. 5.

The longlists:

The Douglas Hickox Award

(Best Debut Director)

Aleem Khan – “After Love”

Matt Chambers – “The Bike Thief”

Prano Bailey-Bond – “Censor”

Jonathan Butterell – “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie”

Sonita Gale – “Hostile”

Jack Clough – “People Just Do Nothing: Big In Japan”

Reggie Yates – “Pirates”

Celeste Bell “Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché” [also Directed By Paul Sng]

Corinna Faith – “The Power”

Charlotte Colbert – “She Will...

Ben Roberts took to the stage ahead of ‘The Harder They Fall’ world premiere.

The British Film Institute (BFI) London Film Festival (Lff) kicked off last night (October 6) with an abundance of stars turning up for the opening night film, the world premiere of UK director Jeymes Samuel’s feature debut, The Harder They Fall, at London’s Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, followed by a reception at the Freemasons’ Hall.

It is the first time a Netflix title has opened the festival. Netflix is also a sponsor of the event.

In attendance alongside Samuel were the film’s producers,...

Documentary

More than a dozen members of the British Royal Family offer their personal thoughts in a new documentary as they pay tribute to the life of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who died in April at 99.

All the children of the Queen and the Duke, along with their adult grandchildren and other members of the Royal Family, agreed to take part in Oxford Films’ “Prince Philip: The Royal Family.” Originally conceived to mark Prince Philip’s 100th birthday, the documentary features interviews filmed both before and after the Duke’s death and has footage filmed inside Buckingham Palace, including the Duke’s study, private office and library.

It was commissioned by Patrick Holland, BBC director of factual, arts and classical music, and Claire Sillery, head of commissioning, documentaries. The BBC commissioning editor is Simon Young.

The writer and co-producer is Robert Hardman and the executive producer is Nicolas Kent.

Sky Studios Hires Drama Chief

Sky Studios has named Preethi Mavahalli as Creative Director, Drama, with a remit to develop and produce a slate of original drama for Sky’s networks and platforms across Europe. Mavahalli moves from Mammoth Screen, producers of Poldark, where she oversaw development and production on a range of series including McDonald & Dodds and Next of Kin for ITV, as well as The City & The City and Nw for BBC Two. She was previously at Film4 and Film London. Mavahalli will join Sky Studios in January 2022 and will report to Chief Content Officer Jane Millichip. Mavahalli’s team will include Executive Producers Kara Manley, Victoria Wharton, Serena Thompson and Beverly Brooker, and she will work alongside Director of Commissioning for Drama, Gabriel Silver.

Scottish Indie Two Rivers Ties With Hayley Babcock In U.S.

Scottish indie Two Rivers Media is accelerating its push into the U.

Picturehouse Entertainment has launched a teaser trailer for the upcoming feature film from Reggie Yates, ‘Pirates.’

Set in London at the turn of the millennium, Pirates will take audiences on a hilarious journey back to New Year’s Eve 1999, reviving memories from the 90’s garage scene and Moschino fashion for pure nostalgic cinematic joy.

Written and directed by Reggie Yates, the film stars relative newcomers Elliot Edusah, Jordan Peters and Reda Elazouar (Outside the Wire) in the leading roles as three best mates, Cappo, Two Tonne and Kidda, trying to break into the music scene through Pirate radio. The film follows the boys as they drive through London in their tiny Peugeot pumping a live garage set from the stereo and arguing about their Avirex jackets and Naf Naf imports. As the eighteen-year-olds step into adulthood, they know their lives and friendships are on the brink of change. Determined to...

An adaptation of the novel “We Go Around in the Night and are Consumed by Fire” by “Loaded” producers Hillbilly Films and Television has attached its key creative team.

BAFTA-nominated helmer Georgi Banks-Davies (“I Hate Suzie”) is set to direct the limited drama series, while Clare McQuillan (“Impulse”) is writing. The film deal was brokered by Luke Speed of the Curtis Brown Group on behalf of Alexander Cochran of C&w Agency.

Inspired by graffiti found on an overpass in Manchester, Jules Grant’s debut novel is a queer love story and revenge thriller that provides a little-seen view of British gangland in Manchester, from a female perspective.

Banks-Davies most recently served as the lead director on Sky series “I Hate Suzie,” which is nominated for the best series BAFTA TV Award as well as an emerging talent (fiction) nod for the director. Her additional credits include short drama “Garfield,...

The UK comedy drama is about a road trip on New Year’s Eve.

Picturehouse Entertainment has acquired UK and Ireland distribution rights to Pirates, the feature directorial debut of TV and radio presenter Reggie Yates.

The distributor is planning what it describes as “an ambitious full cinema release”.

Written and directed by Yates, the film is produced by Kate Norrish and Polly Leys of the UK’s Hillbilly Films.

Pirates is a comedy focusing on three friends driving from North to South London on New Year’s Eve 1999 in search of tickets to the supposed hottest party in town.

Exclusive: The British Independent Film Awards is for the first time launching a podcast, This Is My Cinema, with a group of UK indie film names lined up to discuss their craft and inspiration over the coming weeks.

Guests include several 2021 BIFA nominees such as Morfydd Clark (Saint Maud), Sarah Gavron (Rocks), Harris Dickinson (County Lines), Niamh Algar (Calm With Horses) and Reggie Yates (writer/director and BIFA Juror). The pod will be hosted by Michael Leader and Rhianna Dhillon (BBC 6 Music).

Episode one of the show, which features Harris Dickinson, who is up for the supporting actor BIFA this year, will be available once you read this across major pod providers.

The 2021 BIFAs take place on February 18 via a live-streamed virtual ceremony hosted by Tom Felton.

“One Night in Miami” director Regina King has defended the casting of British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir as Malcolm X in her film.

Delivering a BAFTA masterclass on Tuesday, King was in conversation with U.K. actor and presenter Reggie Yates, who questioned the director about her stance on the transatlantic casting debate.

In “One Night in Miami,” Ben-Adir portrays the civil rights leader during an imagined evening with Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke. The actor is no stranger to playing American icons, having portrayed President Barack Obama in “The Comey Rule.” On Monday, Ben-Adir won the Gotham award for breakthrough actor.

When asked about the ongoing conversation about British actors playing American icons, King said: “In my opinion, I feel like the best actor for the role should play the part; the actor that truly understands the role that they’re playing.”

“And of course I had my own moments of thinking,...

Titles include animation ’Kensuke’s Kingdom’ and Terence Davies’ next feature, ‘Benediction’.

The 10 biggest recipients of BFI production funding in 2020 received a total of £11.6m in support.

They include additional Covid-related production awards for BFI-backed projects interrupted at the start of pandemic such as Benediction, True Things and Pirates.

Nearly all 10 titles, with the exception of Earwig, also received £20,000 as part of pilot initiative BFI Step-up, which enabled productions to provide opportunities for production crew from under-represented groups to work on BFI-funded features

1. Kensuke’s Kingdom, Jigsaw Films (£1.62m)

Sally Hawkins, Cillian Murphy and Ken Watanabe are among the English-language voice cast of this animated feature,...

Jury members include ‘Animals’ producer Sarah Brocklehurst.

Wild Rose director Tom Harper and Animals producer Sarah Brocklehurst are among the jurors of this year’s British Independent Film Awards (BIFA).

Brocklehurst will preside over the main jury that includes The Last Tree actor Samuel Adewunmi; Daphne and Rialto director Peter Mackie Burns; writer and actor Mark O’Halloran; Blue Story producer Joy Gharoro Akpojotor; Only You filmmaker Harry Wootliff; writer-director Reggie Yates; Anthony Andrews, co-founder of exhibitor We Are Parable; and broadcaster Yinka Bokinni

The new talent jury will be chaired by film critic Amon Warmann and includes Harper, whose Wild Rose...

BBC Studios has pulled the curtain back on its latest global streamer, BBC Select, which will go live across the U.S. and Canada early next year and is being characterized as a TV service for “independent thinkers.”

BBC Select will launch on Amazon Prime Video and the Apple TV app and will specialize in factual programming, spotlighting culture, politics, and ideas. BBC Studios added that it will celebrate diverse voices with a candid, unbiased, and sometimes playful lens.

Its initial slate of shows will feature Louis Theroux’s BBC documentaries Selling Sex and Surviving America’s Most Hated Family, as well as Channel 4’s Grayson Perry: Big American Road Trip.

Exclusives include classicist Mary Beard’s Shock of the Nude, Reggie Yates in China, Putin – A Russian Spy Story, and Adam Curtis’ All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace.

“BBC Select is for those who crave knowledge,...

Elton John’s AIDS Foundation and TikTok have teamed up for a campaign based around World AIDS Day. The collaboration aims to educate millions on the TikTok platform about the disease, working toward the AIDS Foundation’s goal of eliminating the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

The campaign kicks of November 25th with an HIV/AIDS Education & Awareness Quiz available on TikTok focused on educating users of the social platform about HIV prevention and their own sexual health.

On World AIDS Day itself, December 1st, Elton John will host a live event at 2:00 p.

Mary Bekhait has been appointed group CEO of European talent powerhouse Ymu.

Bekhait, who will assume her new position on Jan. 1, steps up from her current role as U.K. CEO. Neil Rodford, the current group CEO, will step down on Dec. 31 after 20 years with the company. He will become chairman of the newly-founded subsidiary Ymu Ventures.

Bekhait marks eight years with Ymu Group, which was borne out of private equity firm Trilantic’s acquisition of the James Grant Group in 2018. Her client roster has included Davina McCall, Holly Willoughby, Fearne Cotton and Reggie Yates. After joining in 2012, she was promoted to deputy managing director of entertainment in 2016 and became managing director in 2017. She was named CEO for the U.K. in September 2019.

Looking forward, Bekhait will prioritize securing more diverse talent and placing creativity “at the heart of the business,” said Ymu.

Investing alongside clients in creating IP will also be a focus,...

The pandemic caused shooting to stop three weeks in.

Pirates, the directorial debut of UK filmmaker Reggie Yates, has completed production 220 days after it began, after it was forced to shut down filming in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The film wrapped on Thursday, October 1, having begun its initial shooting period on Monday, February 24.

The spread of Covid-19 necessitated a production shutdown three weeks later. It resumed on Monday, September 7, to complete what had been 10 outstanding shooting days.

Producer Kate Norrish discussed the shutdown and Covid safety measures in a ScreenDaily Talks session in June, noting the production was...

FilmNation TV UK has signed a two-year development deal with Reggie Yates, the British broadcaster and director whose debut feature film Pirates was halted mid-shoot by the pandemic.

Launched last year as partnership between U.S. outfit FilmNation and Scandi major Nordic Entertainment Group, FilmNation TV UK is being headed up by Creative Director Kirstie Macdonald and is developing a slate of premium scripted TV projects.

Those now include Patriarch, a four-part series written by Yates inspired by his short film of the same name which was shown on Channel 4. It will tell the story of an estranged father and son who find each other at a turning point in each of their lives.

Yates made his name as a TV and radio host in the UK before he began directing docs. His debut short Shelter aired in 2017 and his second, Date Night, starred Daniel Kaluuya. Pirates follows three...

In a world in which two Love Island contestants and the show’s host, Caroline Flack, have died by suicide, the questions about the duty of care on reality TV shows have never been louder. Parliamentarians have held an inquiry, networks and producers have worked up duty of care charters, and now, dramatists are fixing the issue in their creative glare.

Reggie Yates has been a presenter on British television for 18 years, and although he has never hosted a purist reality show, some of the formats he has fronted have reality elements, including The Voice UK and Release The Hounds. In short, he knows this world and it felt like fertile ground for his first TV drama. “I am uniquely placed to tell the story, as someone who is part of a generation who has grown up watching reality TV,” he told Deadline.

The result is Make Me Famous, a...

Film and high-end TV production spend hit record £3.6bn in 12 months from April 2019 to March 2020.

The Covid-19 pandemic has not prevented the UK scoring a record spend on film and TV production, but the local production sector continues to suffer a major decline, according to figures released by the BFI.

Overall, film and high-end TV production spend in the UK hit a record £3.6bn in the 12 months from April 2019 to March 2020, £200m more than the previous 12 months.

Of this, inward investment and co-production spend on 161 titles including Universal Pictures’ Jurassic World: Dominion and Netflix fantasy series The Witcher represented £3.1bn,...

Up to £150,000 will be awarded to productions interrupted as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

An emergency fund for UK independent productions interrupted as a result of the coronavirus pandemic has gone live today (April 29).

The BFI Covid-19 Production Continuation Fund will award up to £150,000 per project from a National Lottery funding pot of £2m ($2.5m).

It will be open for UK independent productions in critical financial need as a result of unavoidable interruption due to the virus crisis, which has seen an industry-wide shut down, and will remain open until May 27.

The fund is intended to help cover unexpected additional costs,...

Festival winner stars Jules Willcox of Bloodline.

Xyz Films has acquired worldwide sales rights to Alone, the English-language adaptation of Swedish thriller and Guldbagge nominee Gone.

John Hyams (Netflix’s Black Summer), currently collaborating with Nicolas Winding Refn on HBO’s upcoming Maniac Cop, directed from a screenplay by Gone (2011) director Mattias Olsson.

Jules Willcox (Netflix’s Bloodline) stars in Alone as Jessica, a grief-stricken widow who flees the city in an attempt to cope with the loss of her husband.

When Jessica is kidnapped by a mysterious man and locked in a cabin in the Pacific Northwest, she escapes into the wilderness.

Updated with higher stock prices:

Exhibition stocks rallied Thursday in a volatile market with Imax, Cinemark and National Cinemedia surging and AMC Entertainment swinging to gains.

More from DeadlineCoronavirus: What Are Sky, BT, Canal Plus & Other Broadcasters Doing For Sports Subscribers As Film & TV Svods Mobilize?London's Canceled Lgbtiq+ Fest BFI Flare Sets Plan For Digital RolloutBBC Films Halts Shooting On Reggie Yates Feature 'Pirates' Over Coronavirus

The market fell more than 2% at the open on Thursday despite massive commitments by governments and central banks to prop up economies and industry and help workers dislocated by the coronavirus pandemic. The indexes turned up in late morning, creeping tentatively into positive territory.

Imax is 42%. Cinemark is up 50%. AMC Entertainment is up 2%. National Cinemedia is up 20%.

Deadline reported Wednesday that theaters in China, where Imax has significant operations, may reopen by the end of the month.

And the National Association of Theater...

Pirates, the debut feature from British TV presenter and writer Reggie Yates, is one the first BBC Films productions to be halted by coronavirus.

The Hillbilly Films production, about three friends who drive across London on New Year’s Eve in 1999 in search of party tickets, has been filming in the British capital for three weeks. But like countless other film and TV productions, work has ground to a halt on the project.

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“It is with great sadness that filming on Pirates has stopped. The Covid-19 virus has become a real and immediate threat and the health of our cast and crew and that of their...

Exclusive: BBC Films is at the Sundance Film Festival with a record five movies playing in official selection. It’s one of the UK producer-financier’s biggest hauls at any overseas festival.

Debuting in Park City this year are Mamma Mia! director Phyllida Lloyd’s Herself, Remi Weekes’ debut His House, Sean Durkin’s Jude Law-starrer The Nest, Eliza Hittman’s abortion drama Never Rarely Sometimes Always and Aneil Karia debut Surge starring Ben Whishaw. Each project was developed from an early stage by BBC Films, which also backed production. Weekes’ Midnight thriller His House is already making waves after Netflix snapped up global rights yesterday.

In a wide-ranging interview, we spoke to the revamped BBC Films team, led by former Film4 executive Rose Garnett since 2017, about Sundance, BBC Films’ direction, the growing challenge posed by streamers and the #Baftasowhite furore.

BBC Films rarely discusses development projects but today we...

Netflix was in fashion this week as it wined and dined the cream of the U.K.’s rising talent, including BAFTA’s Breakthrough Brits. The streaming giant teamed with Vogue for a dinner at Soho nightspot Kettners, hosted by its London-based VP of originals, Anne Mensah, and Edward Ennuinful, editor-in-chief of the British edition of the fashion bible.

Netflix has partnered with BAFTA on its Breakthrough Brits talent scheme, and is pushing deeper into local originals as it looks to the international business as a key growth-driver. Winning over the U.K.’s best writers, actors, directors, and producers is part of the plan, not least as it tees up productions that will shoot at Shepperton Studios, its massive new production hub near London.

“You guys are the people who literally keep our lights on – creatively and figuratively,” Mensah told the assembled talent as they sat down to dinner after a drinks reception.

Exclusive: Channel 4 is working to salvage a format from Sony Pictures Television’s British production outfit Electric Ray following casting issues.

The British broadcaster commissioned factual entertainment show One Click Away in April last year, with the intention of testing it with viewers as a broadcast pilot. Twenty months on, however, the format is still not close to being aired.

The premise of the show is to reunite estranged relatives, who have found each other online, through a reconnection process overseen by experts. The idea is to help people navigate this emotional experience at a time when long lost family members can be identified through a simple social media search.

But Electric Ray’s production team struggled to find the right participants for One Click Away last year and have since re-worked the show and embarked on another casting push.

One Click Away now has the title Relative Strangers...

Breakout star of Netflix’s hit show ‘Sex Education’, Emma Mackey, sat down with Reggie Yates for Belstaff’s original podcast series ‘The Road Less Travelled’ to talk risk-taking, playing cool characters and nonconformity. Incredibly, the British teen rom-com was watched by 40 million subscribers within one month of its January premiere, and Yates was keen to speak to Mackey about confounding expectations, the choices she’s made that have led her to where she is now, and of course, her bad-ass character in the show – Maeve Wiley.

So, is she one to take risks?

Mackey tells Yates that she reckons she’s in the middle somewhere –while she makes some risky decisions these days, she doesn’t necessarily act on impulse. She does in fact prefer to be a little bit careful, which is quite a contrast from her on-screen character in ‘Sex Education’.

If you haven’t yet seen the show,...

British-American documentary maker Louis Theroux is the latest high-profile name to be added to the Edinburgh International TV Festival.

Theroux, who broke through on Michael Moore’s NBC/BBC series TV Nation and made My Scientology Movie, will discuss his career in non-fiction filmmaking at the TV fest, which runs August 21-23 in Scotland.

He will be interviewed by How To Look Good Naked presenter Dawn O’Porter in the session titled When Dawn Met Louis… in homage to Theroux’s long-running series of interviews on the BBC. Theroux will also discuss the work of Michael Moore, Nick Broomfield and Ruby Wax as well as newer faces including Stacey Dooley and Reggie Yates and a slew of YouTube doc stars. Theroux recently fronted BBC Two doc Surviving America’s Most Hated Family about the Westboro Baptist Church.

The bookings were made by Ian Lamarra, the festival’s head of talent...

British TV presenter and actor Reggie Yates, who starred in Doctor Who, is to front a documentary for MTV UK that will see him travel the world looking at young people tacking big issues.

The Viacom-owned broadcaster is hosted eight-part series Reggie Yates vs The World. It is produced by Flicker Productions, which previously produced The Insider: Reggie Yates for BBC Three, and content funding group Krempelwood.

Filming has started on the series, which will air later this year. In each episode, Yates will take on a new subject, immersing himself into extreme and unusual situations with topical relevance for young people. Through his experience of grueling environments and challenging encounters, Reggie will be pushed to his absolute limits, giving him a new perspective on these issues.

Reggie Yates vs The World was been commissioned by Kelly Bradshaw, VP, MTV UK and Antony Rochford, Director of Programming, MTV...

Mark Harrison Oct 24, 2017

As Doctor Who series 11 adds a trio of soap opera stars to its cast. And it makes sense...

What do Mandip Gill, Tosin Cole and Bradley Walsh have in common? Other than the fact that they're all joining Jodie Whittaker's Doctor as part of the regular cast of Doctor Who's next series, they've all acted in soap operas. Even 12 years since the show was revived by a former Coronation Street writer, that still makes some fans nervous.

Whatever your thoughts on Corrie, EastEnders and other serial dramas (to give them their proper name – the nickname comes from an outdated observation about soap companies sponsoring many of them), they're the best, most relevant training ground for young actors in British television. It's also more relevant to the experience of working on Doctor Who than you might necessarily expect.

We won't go so far as Doctor Who...