Cate Blanchett, Matteo Garrone, Molly Manning Walker Among 709 New Members of European Film Academy – Global Bulletin
RECORD INTAKE
The European Film Academy has added a record 709 new members in its 2024 annual intake. New members include Cate Blanchett (Australia/U.K.), Jovan Marjanović (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Maria Bakalova (Bulgaria), Juraj Lerotić (Croatia), Anna Hints (Estonia), Ariane Toscan du Plantier (France), Stéphan Castang (France), David Thion (France), Marie-Ange Luciani (France), Latifa Saïd (France), Rebecca Houzel (France), Thomas Hakim (France), Sami Mustafa (France/Kosovo), Mohamed Siam (France), Hanna Bergholm (Finland), Hamze Bytyçi (Germany) and Christian M. Goldbeck (Germany).
The intake also includes Behrooz Karamizade (Germany), Jerry Hoffmann (Germany), Aylin Tezel (Germany), Jasmin Tabatabai (Germany), Sofia Exarchou (Greece), Phedon Papamichael (Greece), Kate McCullough (Ireland), Matteo Garrone (Italy), Enzo d’Alò (Italy), Francesco Montagner (Italy), Uljana Kim (Lithuania), Cindy Jansen (Netherlands), Fatih Rağbet (Netherlands), Cristi Puiu (Romania), Anca Puiu (Romania), Elene Naveriani (Switzerland), Selahattin Paşalı (Turkey), Molly Manning Walker (U.K.), Melanie Hoyes (U.K.), Lizzie Francke (U.K.), Charles Newland (UK), Jad Salfiti (U.K.) and Guy Nattiv (U.S.).
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Some 49% of the new members are women, 50% are men and 1% define as non-binary. They hail from Germany (114), Italy (58), Greece (50), the U.K. (50), Switzerland (37), France (36) and Poland (36), Spain (26), Czech Republic (26), Ukraine (24), Romania (23) and Turkey (20).
The European Film Academy has more than 5,000 members across 52 countries.
EXIT
Aparna Purohit has stepped down from her role as head of originals, India and Southeast Asia, at Prime Video. Industry sources indicate that Purohit is joining Aamir Khan Productions, headed by the eponymous Bollywood superstar. Variety has reached out to Aamir Khan Productions for confirmation. Purohit will continue at Prime Video for another two months. A replacement for Purohit has not been revealed yet.
In January, Prime Video dropped original productions and cut some staff from its Southeast Asia team.
While Purohit is responsible for shepherding Prime Video’s hit Indian shows as a tireless behind-the-scenes enabler, she was also in the public eye briefly in 2021 around Indian original series “Tandav.” The series, created by Muslim filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar, featured a scene in which a character, played by Muslim actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, portrayed the Hindu God Shiva. Amazon quickly edited the scene and Zafar apologized. Prime Video also issued a formal statement of apology. Purohit, then head of India originals, was a target of court action.
STAR PRODUCER
Emmy-winning actor Archie Panjabi (“The Good Wife”) has teamed with BBC Studios Kids & Family to develop the comedic mystery series, “Anisha Accidental Detective,” and will serve as an executive producer on it. Based on the book series of the same name, written by Serena Patel and illustrated by Emma McCann, the 10-part live-action series follows strong-willed 10-year-old Anisha Mistry, whose life is upended when her auntie’s fiancé disappears a few days before their big Bollywood-style wedding. The series is being developed by BBC Studios Kids & Family in a deal optioned by Emily Hayward-Whitlock at The Artist Partnership and Kate Shaw at The Shaw Agency.
Panjabi said of the series: “With a British Indian family at the heart, it’s a wonderful celebration of British Indian culture. Anisha was the character I yearned to see on screen when I was a 10-year-old. The series is a refreshing comedy mystery about friendship, family and growing up, packed with vibrant characters. It’s delightfully intriguing and will keep the whole family craving for more – just like Anisha’s granny’s parathas.”
DISTRIBUTION
Ryan Singh‘s directorial debut, documentary “Ray of Hope,” will premiere at Canada’s Cineplex chain for a limited one-week run from May 10. KW Talkies is overseeing theatrical distribution and All-In Media Group overall Canadian distribution. Singh, who previously worked on Nora Twomey’s Oscar nominated “The Breadwinner,” teamed with Nikila Cole (“Wanderings”) who serves as a co-director. The documentary is executive produced by Patricia Scarlett (“Rasta: A Soul’s Journey”) and Dayana Stanislaus.
The film follows a Tamil-Canadian woman, Rathika Sitsabaiesan, a former Canadian Member of Parliament, who fled the armed conflict in Sri Lanka in 1987 to Canada with her Tamil family as a five-year-old child.
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