Toby Stephens & Umi Myers Lead Māori Gothic Horror ‘Mārama’
Toby Stephens (Black Sails, Die Another Day) and Uni Myers (Bob Marley: One Love, Dope Girls) are starring in Māori Gothic horror Mārama, which has also cast Ariāna Osborne (Madam, In a Flash) in a lead role. Shooting on the gender-bending film is underway in New Zealand, which is known as Aotearoa in the Māori language. Set in North Yorkshire in Victorian England in 1859, the film follows a young Māori woman’s fight to reclaim her identity and indigenous culture. It comes from Māori writer-director Taratoa Stappard (Taumanu, Emkhatsini) and also features Erroll Shand (Savage, The Luminaries) and Jordan Mooney (The Bluff, Pike River). Sharlene George, Co-CEO and founding Partner of international production company The Sweetshop, is producing. Rickylee Russell-Waipuka and Rouzie Hassanova are also producing with Paraone Gloyne as Māori language and culture producer. Executive Producers include Victoria Dabbs and Gal Greenspan for Sweetshop Entertainment, Jill Macnab and Phil Bremner for Vendetta Films and Badie Ali, Hamza Ali and Greg Newman for MPI Media. “This film will be confronting, bloody and entirely unique, and I’m excited to be forging a new genre: Māori Gothic horror,” said the New Zealand-born Stappard, who lives in the UK. The film has support from the Tumu Whakaata Taonga/the New Zealand Film Commission, imagineNATIVE, The Black List, TIFF, ZIFF and the Berlinale Co-Production Market. It is made in association with the New Zealand Film Commission, NZ On Air, Whakaata Māori and Images & Sound. MPI International will manage global sales with Vendetta Films distributing in Australia and New Zealand.
Netflix Indonesia Content Chief Rusli Eddy Steps Down
Netflix’s Indonesian content head Rusli Eddy has stepped down from the company to “take a break” and focus on personal matters. Deadline understands that Malobika Banerji, the streamer’s head of Southeast Asian content, will be stepping in in the interim to cover Eddy’s duties. Content Asia first reported the news of Eddy’s departure. His last day in the role was September 30. During his tenure, he oversaw the production of Indonesian heavyweight titles like Cigarette Girl, The Big 4 and Nightmares and Daydreams. Netflix has remained a constant investor in Indonesia and Southeast Asia despite other international streamers pulling away over the past year.
European Film Awards Expands Best European Film Category
The European Film Awards is expanding the Best European Film category beyond live action fiction works to include documentaries and animated features. Under the change, being implemented for this year’s awards, features competing in the European Documentary or European Animated Feature Film categories will be eligible for the Best European Film Award. “The decision reflects a changing perception in our industry of the value of all films made. I’m proud and grateful that the European Film Academy, in a process of increasing transparency and equality for all who work in European cinema, has taken this step and embraces this change,” said Matthijs Wouter Knol, CEO of the Berlin-based European Film Academy which oversees the awards. The awards ceremony for the 37th edition will take place in the Swiss lakeside town of Lucerne on December 7. Last year, Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall won Best European Film.
Happy Accidents Set TV movie Slate For MIP (Exclusive)
LA-based film and TV studio Happy Accidents has unveiled a 17-strong slate for MIPCOM Cannes, including nine mysteries. Three films from the Ainsley McGregor Mysteries franchise top-line the slate, with three films coming in 2025 starring Candace Cameron Bure (Full House, Aurora Teagarden Mysteries) and Aaron Ashmore (Ginny & Georgia, Smallville). Based on Candace Haven’s bestselling novels, the franchise blends small-town charm with mystery stories. The first film, A Case for the Winemaker, will premiere on Great American Family and Bell on Friday (October 4) in the U.S. and Canada, respectively. Happy Accidents has also bought rights to the latest films in Hallmark’s Hannah Swensen Mystery film series. These include the already-launched One Bad Apple and A Sprinkle of Deceit and two more that will be complete early 2025. Also on the slate is a trio of eco-thrillers that will launch on Hallmark next year, alongside Christmas movies, rom-coms and more seasonal content. MIPCOM will mark the first major market for Happy Accidents after the tragic and unexpected death of CFO Courtney Colman last month.
MIPCOM Builds Out Keynote Line-Up
James Farrell, Akihito Okamoto and All3Media CEO Jane Turton are among the latest unveiled for MIPCOM. Yesterday, organizer RX France revealed Amazon MGM Studios Head of International Originals Farrell and Okamoto, President and Representative Director of Yoshimoto Kogyo, will deliver a joint keynote about making unscripted format LOL: Last One Laughing. The show, which Yoshimoto owns, derived out of Japan and has been remade in various countries for Prime Video, with the UK’s upcoming show unveiled in August. They will speak in a Media Mastermind keynote on Monday, October 21 in the Grand Auditorium of the Palais des Festivals. Meanwhile, Turton will speak on the same day one of her first major interviews since All3Media was acquired by RedBird IMI.
Inter Medya To Rep Tims&B Turkish Dramas
Turkish distributor Inter Medya has boarded a pair of dramas from compatriot production house Tims&B Productions. Valley of Hearts (Siyah Kalp) and Loveberry (Karadut) will both launch internationally at MIPCOM. Siyah Kalp, currently airing on Show TV in Turkey, explores the dark secrets and fierce power struggles within the powerful Şansalan family. Karadut, airing on ATV, follows successful personal development expert Zuhal, whose seemingly perfect life takes a drastic turn when she falls in love with someone she shouldn’t. Tims&B Productions’ Timur Savcı and Burak Sağyaşar produced both shows. They have worked with Inter Medya on numerous shows in the past.
More In Brief…
UK-based Parade Media has teamed with producer Sam Barcroft to create lifestyle brands… Alison Dammann has joined Fremantle’s Original Productions in LA as Head of Development, exiting ITV Studios’ Good Caper Content in the process… Scenery, Isidoor Roebers and Lea Fels’ joint venture with Banijay Benelux, will team with journalist and television presenter Thomas Erdbrink on a trio of docs for Dutch streamer Videoland… Archery Pictures’ Alex Marshall has joined Simon Maxwell’s Motive Pictures as COO, with Sid Strickland named Development Producer.