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UK Reality TV Summit @ SXSW London
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The reality is this: Deadline's inaugural UK Reality Summit, held Tuesday at Tab Church in east London as part of SXSW London, made plenty of headlines. In a room packed with executives, creatives, and other attendees, Netflix UK's new director of non-fiction, Sayeda Irtizaali, used her keynote interview to hint at a "massive backlog" of orders and touched on the ongoing crisis in British reality TV. Head of Production SNL UK Helen Kruger Bratt spoke about how the sketch show managed to overcome mass skepticism and achieve a successful first season, and the creator «"American Nightmare"» Felicity Morris opined that true crime programming has moved away from sensational stories centered on criminals during a session where criminologist and television actor David Wilson coined the phrase "opportunistic crime writing." Following the conclusion of the Reality TV Summit, we quickly converted the space into a Deadline studio, where the Russo brothers and their AGBO team held a session that attracted a huge crowd both inside and outside the building. Other notables who attended the event to speak with Deadline journalists included star film "House of the Dragon"« Steve Toussaint and Zach Cherry from series "Severance"« . This week, our parent company PMC held its second SXSW London, once again attracting some of the most prominent names in entertainment, politics, sports, and culture. Prince William, like last year, attended the Diana Awards ceremony, and Michelle Obama recorded a special live podcast. IMO . Even Queen Rania of Jordan was present to urge the world to show resilience in the face of mounting challenges. We were on the ground, covering every stage, and we look forward to seeing everyone next year. SXSW London concludes tomorrow.
Netflix EMEA issued a warning at a leadership conference.
Dark
The dance heats up the atmosphere: At the Netflix, Disney+, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Discovery CEO conference in London this week, there was an air of cautious optimism. However, it was tempered by concerns about changes in the entertainment ecosystem. Netflix's Larry Tanz captured the audience's attention by warning against a "one-size-fits-all" approach to preserving content rights in Europe, which risks benefiting super-producers backed by "private equity funds or sovereign wealth funds" (he didn't name the producers, but the audience was aware). He was primarily referring to new rules in Germany that will ban standard work-for-hire contracts and grant producers exclusive rights to their shows, a criticism that followed his previous comments about "crushing" local content quotas. Tanz's remarks were the most pointed, and his comments could reignite the always-heated debate about the wisdom or futility of regulation. According to Tanz, Netflix is already doing a lot in Europe. Others might disagree. Also on the big stage was Kevin McLellan, head of Paramount's international division, who would surely have delighted his boss, David Ellison, with a speech dedicated, in fact, to his admiration for David Ellison. He also mentioned other things, including that the industry has overcome its "fear of paralysis" and must truly embrace the concept of "windows" in all their forms. For more on McLellan, Tanz, and more, check out our coverage here.
Global breakthrough
Happiness
The conflict in Iran has dominated headlines in recent months, but a small French-Iranian web series with big ambitions tells a slightly different story. This week, we featured the series. «"Happiness"» Purii Takavar, inspired by «American Honey» , which follows a group of reckless teenagers, proving that adolescence truly is universal. The second season takes us to France, telling the complex story of first-generation immigrants, written by a group of mostly second-generation immigrants. Premiering at the Seriencamp festival in Cologne next week, the series perfectly captures the essence of the festival. >>>Read The Breakout
Interview with Orin Wolf (First-Hand)
Natalie Venetia Belcon and David Oquendo at Buena Vista Social Club on Broadway
Leading theatre producer Orin Wolf announced this week that the musical Buena Vista Social Club will move to London's West End, and it's in good hands, as are producers Lin-Manuel Miranda and Barbara Broccoli. The five-time Tony Award winner« Buena Vista Social Club tells the origin story of the old-school Cuban musicians who gathered in Havana in 1996 to record what is now considered a landmark recording of their mesmerizing music. Wolf told Baz he's eyeing a particular London venue, which he hopes will open next year. "It's important to find the right place with the right atmosphere," he says, well aware that music venues are in high demand in London. >>>Read the interview
Basic Provisions
Natsha Lyonne
🌶️ Main news: Natasha Lyonne to produce survival thriller «Red Sea» for Saudi director Lina Malaika.
🌶️ Another sensation: Darren Aronofsky has joined the creative team of Dustin Brown's feature film "« Solidarity"» , dedicated to the modern realities of life of migrants in the United States.
🌶️ Third : Hugh Laurie lands a mysterious role in in the film "Legacy of Spies", his second adaptation of John le Carré's works this year.
📖 Investigation: Jake immersed himself in the world of British independent film« Ascension" starring Cara Delevingne, the filming of which was disrupted due to a debt of more than $400,000 to the angry film crew and suppliers.
🏒 «"Bitter Rivalry": Series creator Jacob Tierney has been given the opportunity to perfect the second season.
🚪 He's leaving. BBC Head of Comedy Programmes John Petrie, who will join Hat Trick Productions.
🏕️ Latest festival news: The Palestinian Film Institute returns to the Sheffield Documentary Film Festival with several exciting projects.
🍿 Box office receipts: revival« Scary Movie» promises to raise $70 million worldwide.
🖼️ First look: crime thriller "Cockroach" starring Chris Hemsworth and Taron Egerton starring , which has just completed filming in Australia.
🕯️ And finally: We offer our condolences to the family of Marjane Satrapi, an Iranian-French artist best known internationally for her biographical animated film «Persepolis» 2007 Kathleen Kennedy was among those who paid tribute, calling her "a true gem.".
The International Insider column was written by Max Goldbart and edited by Jesse Whittock, who also contributed . Send any tips, comments, or ideas for international coverage to jwhittock@deadline.com and mgoldbart@deadline.com.
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