News

Production on mixed-language, eight-part series to commence in early 2024.

Los Angeles-based Upgrade Productions is partnering with Iceland’s new Act 4 and Croatia’s Drugi Plan on the eco-thriller Volcano.

The eight-part series follows surviving residents from a volcano which has devasted Iceland as they are relocated to Croatia under a Un directive and must learn how to live together, survive cultural clashes and ultimately help each other.

Production on the mixed-language series – which will be in English, Icelandic, Croatian – is scheduled to start early next year and will take place in Iceland and Croatia.

Act 4, the production company led...

Burgeoning Los Angeles-based production company Upgrade Productions has bolstered its growing team with two new high-profile profile hires.

The company has signed Akshay Mehta as Executive Vice President, Content Strategy and Business Development, and Vanessa Saal as Executive Vice President, Production & Distribution.

Seasoned production and sales execs Matt Brodlie and Jonathan Kier created Upgrade Productions at the end of 2021 to develop and produce premium local language productions for a global audience.

Mehta and Saal will both report directly to Brodlie and Kier.

Mehta will be responsible for the execution of Upgrade’s overall content strategy and seek out new partnership opportunities.

He is taking the lead on managing these relationships, structuring the financing for the slate and was instrumental in negotiating Upgrade’s equity investment from Constantin Film.

Working closely with Brodlie and Kier to lead the company in growth, he will run day-to-day operations as a senior member of...

Co-president Matt Brodlie, EVP, head of series Caroline Kusser attending TV market in Cannes.

Upgrade Productions, the LA-based production company launched by Matt Brodlie and Jonathan Kier focused on local-language productions, has announced a Mexican feature project and two upcoming series from India and Italy heading into Mipcom and AFM.

Comedy drama My Teacher, Mr. Kim Remake is a Mexican remake of the 2003 South Korean film My Teacher, Mr. Kim to be directed by Celso Garcia, the fast-rising filmmaker whose multiple award-winning 2015 debut feature The Thin Yellow Line was produced by Guillermo del Toro. Mineko Mori is producing with Upgrade...

• Pictured above: Laurence Kardish (MoMa) Antonio Monda (Nyu), Giampoalo Letta (Medusa Films), Salvatore Ferragamo (Ferragamo), and Mario Sesti (Film Critic) MoMA has done it again. Another tribute to Italian Cinema has arrived at the Museum of Modern Art. Following the tribute to Antonio Capuano and the tribute to Gianni Amelio, MoMA has hooked up with Medus Films and Salvatore Ferragamo to celebrate Medusa Film’s 10th Anniversary. As I was sitting in at the press conference for this event, I looked on stage and saw Ettore Scola. I turned to my right and saw Dario Argento. I look behind me and saw Paolo Sorrentino. I looked in front of me and saw Stefano Accorsi. It was the who’s who of Italian Cinema yesterday and today. To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the production and distribution company Medusa, the president of Medusa donated 14 of their most popular titles to

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