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Pete Davidson sat courtside at the New York Knicks basketball game at Madison Square Garden on Sunday evening (April 6) in New York City.

The 31-year-old comedian and actor was joined by his girlfriend Elsie Hewitt as they watched the Knicks defeat the Phoenix Suns 112-98.

Pete showed his support for the home team by wearing a Knicks Fear of God hoodie. Unfortunately, the hoodie is currently sold out on the NBA store.

Other celebrities attending the game, according to the Knicks Instagram, included Penn Badgley, Suni Lee, Odell Beckham Jr, New York Mets’ Francisco Lindor, who sat next to Pete, New York Jets’ Tyrod Taylor, Diana Silvers, Cory Hardrict, Bobby Flay, rapper Chuck D, Tim Robinson and former basketball star Stephon Marbury.

The weekend before, Pete and Elsie were in Scotland, where they attended Dave Navarro‘s wedding. She shared photos of them in the country on her Instagram, including posing with a beautiful horse.

Here at Film Independent, we like our creative visions bold. We like our thinking outside-the-box. We like our filmmakers loud. That’s why we made six of them Amplifiers.

Film Independent is proud to announce and welcome the 2025 Amplifier Fellows. This cohort six of Black or African American filmmakers working as writers, directors and/or producers will each be given an unrestricted grant of $30,000, with the support of Netflix’s Fund for Creative Equity.

On top of the grants, the Amplifier Fellowship will include a twelve-month program where Fellows will receive personalized support to propel their selected projects and careers both creatively and strategically as well as customized mentorship pairings with Industry Advisors as well as a Film Independent board member.

Each Fellow will also receive professional coaching in partnership with Renee Freedman & Co, and financial and business advisement in partnership with The Jill James.

Past Amplifier Fellows include Contessa Gayles,...

The fourth annual Amplifier Fellowship from Film Independent has unveiled six Fellows receiving $180,000 in cash grants for independent film and TV series.

IndieWire exclusively announces all six, and among them is “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt” writer/director Raven Jackson for the fiction series “Scar Tissue.” Jackson made her narrative directorial debut with the 2023 Sundance feature “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt”; the film went on to be nominated for a Film Independent Spirit Award (for Best First Feature) and a Gotham Award (for Breakthrough Director) with distribution from A24.

“Reservation Dogs” writer/actor Chad Charlie; “Victim/Suspect” and “The Fire That Took Her” producer Tracy Jarrett; and J.M. Harper, who edited the Emmy-nominated Netflix docuseries “Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy,” are additionally among the Amplifier Fellowship grant recipients. Berlinale filmmaker Skinner Myers (“Before You Fade Away Into Nothing”) and Doc NYC “40 Under 40” participant producer Jameka Autry received grants as well.

Exclusive: Mayim Bialik’s Sad Clown Productions is gearing up to produce The Maccabees, a new feature on the historic achievements of the Yeshiva University Men’s Basketball Team, coached by Elliot Steinmetz.

Written by Matt Ritter (Chained to My Ex), the film will watch as a lawyer moonlighting as a basketball coach leads his underdog team of Jewish players to a remarkable winning streak, shattering stereotypes in the process.

Standing against the odds with a historic run, winning over 50 games in the 2019 and 2020 seasons — the longest winning streak in the history of men’s college basketball — the Yeshiva team has continued to crush stereotypes up to the present. A sturdy team that’s defied all odds while staying true to their heritage, they’ve played while enduring antisemitic slurs and created a schedule that works for their religious needs, as they observe the Sabbath, fasting days and Jewish holidays.

Exclusive: Rtg Features (Alaskan Nets) and Msm (The Last Dance) have tapped David Charles Rodrigues (Neymar: The Perfect Chao) to direct a new feature doc about the high-scoring NBA trio of Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin—collectively known as Run Tmc—and how they set the stage for the present-day dynasty of the world-champion Golden State Warriors, led by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

Led by Hall of Fame coach Don Nelson, Run Tmc showcased “Nellie Ball” and ushered in the modern NBA. While the two brief seasons that Hardaway, Richmond and Mullin played together from 1989-1991 didn’t yield any championships, they birthed life-long friendships. Billed as “the most fun fun sports doc of all time”, the as-yet-untitled feature will be a three-man weave combining basketball, hip-hop, the Bay Area and late-’80s/early-’90s nostalgia.

Mason Gordon will produce for Msm, with Rtg Features acting as the studio.

Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including red carpets for House of the Dragon, Thirteen Lives, Vengeance and Uncoupled.

Vengeance Los Angeles premiere

B.J. Novak premiered his directorial debut Vengeance on Monday at Dtla’s Ace Theater, along with stars Ashton Kutcher, Boyd Holbrook, Isabella Amara, John Mayer and Finneas.

Ashton Kutcher, Boyd Holbrook, Finneas O’Connell, B.J. Novak, Isabella Amara, John Mayer and Lio Tipton B.J. Novak and Mindy Kaling

Surface premiere

Apple TV+ celebrated premiere of its thriller series Surface at NYC’s Morgan Library and Museum on Monday, led by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Ari Graynor, Andres Joseph, Millie Brady, Christin Park, Markian Tarasiuk, creator Veronica West and executive producer Reese Witherspoon.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Reese Witherspoon Markian Tarasiuk, Andreas Joseph, guest, Veronica West, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Reese Witherspoon, Sam Miller, Lauren Neustadter, Oliver Jackson-Cohen,...

Showtime Sports Documentary Films is extending its partnership with NBA superstar Kevin Durant and his business partner Rich Kleiman’s Boardroom for a documentary called “NYC Point Gods,” which will showcase iconic point guards from New York City who left an indelible mark on the game and pop culture throughout the 1980s and ’90s.

The film will delve into how the Big Apple has long been an epicenter for game-changing basketball talent that inspired American culture beyond the sport.

“NYC Point Gods” will showcase a roster of New York City point guard legends including Rafer Alston, Kenny Anderson, Mark Jackson, Stephon Marbury, God Shammgod, Kenny Smith, Rod Strickland and Dwayne “Pearl” Washington. The documentary aims to highlight how these players excelled in the game, but also brought a style that would echo all the way up to the sport’s present day.

“Everyone knows an NYC point guard when they see them,...

Yessss! Showtime has set a summer premiere date for NYC Point Gods, a feature-length documentary on the enduring impact of New York City point guards who honed their craft on the city’s playgrounds and high school gyms in the 1980s and ’90s.

The pic from Showtime Documentary Films and Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman’s Boardroom tips off at 9 p.m. Friday, July 29, on the premium cable net.

NYC Point Gods features a who’s who of point guard deities: Kenny Anderson, Mark Jackson, Stephon Marbury, Kenny Smith, Rod Strickland, Dwayne “Pearl” Washington, Rafer Alston and God Shammgod. They brought theatrics, dizzying ball control, stylish misdirection and a shake-and-bake game from the asphalt to the city’s hallowed high school gyms and to the NBA, orchestrating successful offenses at every level.

The pic features extensive interviews and rare footage of the point guards, plus prominent New York voices including Stephen A.

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, which operates Crackle and other ad-supported video on demand channels, on Tuesday announced plans to acquire the assets of 1091 Media to nearly double its content library.

The $15.6 million deal includes roughly 4,000 hours of film and TV series, including the acclaimed docs “The Last Blockbuster,” “Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice” and Taika Waititi’s breakout indie film “Hunt for the Wilderpeople.”

Chicken Soup for the Soul is funding the deal with $8 million in cash, $2 million in newly issued Series A stock at $25 per share and 375,000 shares of Class A common stock valued at $14.80 per share. The company projects $10 million-plus in revenue in the next 12 months, with roughly $3 million of incremental Ebitda. (Class A stock was down nearly 2% to $9.18 in early trading on Tuesday.)

The deal is expected to close in mid-March.

1091 Pictures library includes “The Ghost of Peter Sellers,” the Kevin Durant...

Exclusive: Basketball content studio Rtg Features is developing an unscripted competition series based on the iconic shooting game Pop-a-Shot.

It comes as the nascent producer and financier signs with ICM Partners for representation in non-scripted television and film.

Rtg Features, which is headed by COO Aron Phillips, who previously worked for LeBron James’ and Maverick Carter’s Uninterrupted, was founded in 2019 and is part of Jds Sports investment portfolio, which also includes Slam, Five-Star Basketball and Streamwise.

The company aims to develop and produce original basketball stories across scripted, unscripted, feature films, TV and podcasts as well as adapting articles from Slam’s 230-plus magazine issues.

The Pop-a-Shot series, which is being taken out by ICM, comes as the game is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The series will sees competitors ranging from professional athletes to celebrities to the world’s foremost amateurs racking up points at local arcades and views on TikTok and YouTube.

A documentary series spanning over two decades of footage and home videos of Kanye West’s life and work has landed at Netflix.

Billboard, which first reported the news, cites sources putting the price tag at Netflix at $30 million, though a person familiar with the matter tells Variety that that is not an accurate figure. The series is said to include never-before-seen footage of West, and will cover his career in music and fashion, his failed 2020 presidential bid, and the death of his mother, Donda West.

The multi-part docuseries, which does not yet have a title, hails from music video producing duo Clarence “Coodie” Simmons and Chike Ozah, better known as Coodie & Chike, who directed and produced West’s 2004 music video “Jesus Walks (Version 3)” and “Through the Wire.” The pair have also produced and directed the 2012 ESPN “30 for 30” documentary “Benji,” about Benjamin Wilson; music videos for Lupe Fiasco, Erykah Badu...

Charles Barkley is out to conquer a new arena. The NBA Hall of Famer is exec producing his first scripted series, “The Line,” based on a bestselling exposé of the gambling scandal that nearly destroyed college basketball.

Rtg Features, the new sister studio to basketball media outfit Slam, is producing the multi-episode one-hour historical drama, partnering with exec producers Barkley and the company he co-founded, Round Mound Media. The show is adapted from Charley Rosen’s 1999 bestseller “Scandals of ’51,” which documents the explosive real-life crime saga that rocked the nation after World War II. Rtg is unveiling the project for buyers at AFM.

“I’m a big fan of Charley Rosen’s books, but ‘Scandals of ’51’ is especially timely to turn into a television series,” Barkley said. “It’s impossible to understand the present without knowing the past, and stories like this one — about cheating, racism and how easily amateur...

Exclusive: Jds Sports has partnered with magazine-turned-media company Slam and camp business Five-Star Basketball to launch Rtg Features. The production shingle’s projects will focus exclusively on basketball.

The acronym Rtg is a nod to Slam’s original slogan, “Respect the Game.” The company will focus on original development and financing along with adapting articles from Slam’s 225-plus magazine issues into projects ranging from feature films to documentaries to podcasts.

The company has numerous projects in development with its inaugural project the Stephon Marbury documentary A Kid From Coney Island, which was executive produced by Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman and is now streaming on Netflix.

On deck for Rtg is the docuseries SLAMthology from A Kid From Coney Island filmmakers Coodie & Chike. The docuseries will highlight the most compelling stories from Slam magazine’s 26-year archives. The project is slated to be released later this year. Most titles...

Last week brought a huge haul of new titles to Netflix, what with it being the first week of a new month. As we head into the second week of July, then, the days aren’t bringing quite as much of an influx of fresh content, but today does see four new movies arrive on the streaming service, which are all hugely different from each other and so should cater to a wide variety of tastes.

First up, 2019’s The Kid From Coney Island has been added to Netflix’s library. The documentary explores the life and career of former NBA player Stephon Marbury, following his youth in – you guessed it – Coney Island to the fulfillment of his dreams of becoming a professional basketball player.

2010’s How Do You Know is also up on the site from today. The romantic comedy stars Reese Witherspoon as a softball player, struggling to...

Editors’ Note: With full acknowledgment of the big-picture implications of a pandemic that has already claimed thousands of lives, cratered global economies and closed international borders, Deadline’s Coping With Covid-19 Crisis series is a forum for those in the entertainment space grappling with myriad consequences of seeing a great industry screech to a halt. The hope is for an exchange of ideas and experiences, and suggestions on how businesses and individuals can best ride out a crisis that doesn’t look like it will abate any time soon. If you have a story, email mike@deadline.com.

On March 2, stand-up comedian and Good Trouble actress Sherry Cola attended a special screening at the Soho House in West Hollywood for the uplifting Stephon Marbury documentary A Kid From Coney Island. Leaving in good spirits, Cola stepped into the elevator with a fellow Asian who was also at the popular L.

Former NBA star Stephon Marbury is trying to give back in a major way to his home state of New York as the United States continues to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Marbury is among NBA stars who have played professional basketball in China. He’s now attempting to get 10 million masks for coronavirus from the country where he lives...

As expected, the coronavirus pandemic is hitting the box office hard, as many are under self-quarantine in an effort to flatten the curve. Some patrons are braving the outbreak, but as seen in preliminary box office numbers, it seems that many theaters are closing or limiting numbers. Patrons are opting to stay home, which is a good sign to see that people are taking precautions. However, the box office is seeing very low numbers and the specialty space is particularly feeling the impact.

New films being released in theaters are underperforming, landing between a low of 20% to a high of 35% in terms of projected numbers. Holdovers are also seeing a drop — more than usual. We have seen a handful of theater closings in New York, Philadelphia, D.C., Boston, and Seattle, and this may or may not continue in the upcoming week.

More from DeadlineEliza Hittman's Sundance Winner 'Never Rarely Sometimes Always' Hits Theaters,...

The overall box office this weekend has fallen 25% or more, which is partly due to a weak slate of titles. But the specialty business is a site of carnage. That’s because the core older arthouse audience is avoiding theaters during the current pandemic, despite the presence of compelling films at varying levels of release.

Specialized theaters have one advantage: The films they play aren’t as likely to be pulled, and can roll out more gradually and even hold. And if the big circuits shut down, surviving arthouses might pick up extra business. But the grim reality is their patrons shouldn’t be going out, even if low attendance, super-sanitizing and seat spreading limits the risk. That makes more shutdowns a likelihood.

More from IndieWire'It's Always Sunny' Star and Co-Creator Rob McElhenney Urges Studios to Keep Paying Laid-Off StaffPaul Schrader Calls Out Producers for Shutting Down His Film After...

New York's Coney Island is famous for Nathan's Hot Dogs and Stephon Marbury, a kid from the housing projects who went on to have a turbulent career in the NBA, before ultimate redemption and fame from millions of basketball-crazy fans in China.

Now Marbury is headed to movie stardom with A Kid from Coney Island, an intimate documentary about the rise and fall of a legendary pro basketball player who, as a child, dreamed of fame and fortune in the NBA, before a career rebirth in China while playing for the Shanxi Zhongyu Brave Dragons and the Beijing Ducks....

New York's Coney Island is famous for Nathan's Hot Dogs and Stephon Marbury, a kid from the housing projects who went on to have a turbulent career in the NBA, before ultimate redemption and fame from millions of basketball-crazy fans in China.

Now Marbury is headed to movie stardom with A Kid from Coney Island, an intimate documentary about the rise and fall of a legendary pro basketball player who, as a child, dreamed of fame and fortune in the NBA, before a career rebirth in China while playing for the Shanxi Zhongyu Brave Dragons and the Beijing Ducks....

Contending with having the weight of the world on their shoulders is rarely an easy process for anyone, no matter what circumstances they find themselves in. That’s certainly the case for former American basketball player, Stephon Marbury, who was drafted into the NBA out of Georgia Tech in 1996, at the young age of 19. […]

The post 2019 Tribeca Film Festival Interview: Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah Talk A Kid from Coney Island (Exclusive) appeared first on Shockya.com.

"Forget about basketball. It wasn't about basketball anymore..." 1091 has released a full trailer for a sports documentary about basketball player Stephon Marbury. The doc is called A Kid From Coney Island and it premiered at last year's Tribeca Film Festival. For those who don't know, here's his story: "Marbury, now 42, grew up in the housing projects of Coney Island, New York [City], and watched as his three college basketball-playing brothers fail[ed] to make the pros. Eventually, he made his way to the NBA, playing for 12 seasons from 1996 to 2009 for teams including the New York Knicks and the Minnesota Timberwolves. In 2010, Marbury moved to China to play professionally in the Chinese Basketball Association, becoming a six-time All-Star." Not everyone is happy with this choice, but he's an inspiration to many all over the world. Here's the official trailer for Coodie & Chike Ozah's doc A Kid From Coney Island, from 1091's YouTube:...

The life of two-time NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury is the subject of a powerful new documentary, and People has an exclusive first look.

In the trailer for A Kid from Coney Island, Marbury recounts, “I went from making $20 million dollars a year to zero.”

Marbury, now 42, grew up in the housing projects of Coney Island, New York, and watched as his three college basketball-playing brothers fail to make the pros. Eventually, he made his way to the NBA, playing for 12 seasons from 1996 to 2009 for teams including the New York Knicks and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In 2010, Marbury moved to China to...

Greenwich Entertainment and 1091 have acquired the North American rights to the rock documentary “Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice” and plan to release the film in theaters this September, the companies announced Monday.

CNN Films, who also produced co-financed the documentary with Pch Films, has also acquired the North American broadcast TV rights for North America.

“The Sound of My Voice” premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year and also won an audience award for documentaries at the Provincetown International Film Festival.

Also Read: 'Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice' Review: Rock Doc Starts and Ends With the Music

The film includes archival footage spanning 50 years, following her from the start of her career in the 1960s through becoming the highest paid female rock and roll performer in the ’70s, all culminating in her retirement in 2011 due to her battle with Parkinson’s disease.

In today’s film news roundup, “The King’s Man” and “A Kid From Coney Island” get release dates, and “Barry” star Anthony Carrigan joins “Bill & Ted Face the Music.”

Release Date

Disney has set its Fox spy comedy prequel “The King’s Man” for release on Feb. 14, 2020.

Disney made the announcement Wednesday at its CineEurope presentation in Barcelona. Matthew Vaughn is directing again with a new cast including Ralph Fiennes, Matthew Goode and Harris Dickson.

The two previous films in the franchise — 2014’s “Kingsman: The Secret Service” and 2017’s “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” — were directed by Vaughn and grossed more than $800 million worldwide. Fox handled distribution.

Here’s Disney’s synopsis: “As a collection of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man must race against time to stop them. Discover the origins of the very first independent...

Ivanhoe Pictures, which produced “Crazy Rich Asians,” has partnered with Jeffrey Sharp and Sharp Independent Pictures to finance and co-produce “The Baccarat Queen” about Chinese gambler Cheung Yin “Kelly” Sun.

The project is inspired by Michael Kaplan’s article “The Baccarat Machine,” published in Cigar Aficionado, about Sun amassing millions of dollars of winnings by teaming with “King of Poker” Phil Ivey and using a technique known as edge sorting — recognizing the use of playing cards in which the edges on either side are unevenly cut by fractions of an inch.

Ivanhoe plans to develop a predominately English-language film featuring Asian characters. Ivanhoe and Sharp will produce.

“‘The Baccarat Queen’ is a truly captivating story that will feature a diverse international cast, a goal that Ivanhoe continues to pursue as global storytellers,” Ivanhoe Pictures president John Penotti said. “We are thrilled to partner with Sharp as we tell this exciting,...

Ivanhoe Pictures, a division of Sk Global and the production company behind Crazy Rich Asians, has teamed with Jeffrey Sharp of Sharp Independent Pictures to produce The Baccarat Queen (working title), a film about Cheung Yin “Kelly” Sun, the skilled Baccarat player who is considered the most successful female gambler in modern history.

Based on Michael Kaplan’s Cigar Aficionado article, The Baccarat Machine (which is also Sun’s nickname), the predominately English-language film will feature Asian characters for the global market.

The film will tell the true story of Sun, a young Chinese woman who turns a painstakingly developed talent and obsession for payback into one of the most ingenious legal gambling runs ever documented. Over the course of less than a year playing baccarat in major casinos around the world, Sun amasses winnings in the 10s of millions of dollars. With major casinos conspiring to bar her from their properties,...

[[tmz:video id="0_9heke6li"]] Stephon Marbury's better off in the BIG3 ... but is in such crazy-good shape, he could hoop in the NBA too -- so says Al Harrington, one of Starbury's BFFs. Al knows what he's talking about ... dude's a 16-year NBA vet and reigning BIG3 champ -- and, most importantly, chats with Marbury all the time. Harrington was literally seconds away from hitting up Stephon when TMZ Sports found him in L.A. -- and asked...

Don't call it a comeback -- cause it's a looongshot -- but Stephon Marbury says he's gunnin' for an NBA return! The 40-year-old announced the news on social media, adding that -- "I still have a lot of go in me as a player and at 40 being able to play at a high level is a gift." Remember ... Starbury left the league 8 Years ago after a string of sketchy off-court incidents -- highlighted by him...

The most loved American celebrity in China isn't Leonardo DiCaprio or Vin Diesel — it's former NBA point guard Stephon Marbury. After 15 years in the NBA, the player whom fans called Starbury moved to basketball-crazy China in 2009 to play for the Shanxi Zhongyu Brave Dragons and later the Beijing Ducks. (Earlier that year, he had turned down a $1.3 million contract with the Boston Celtics; in China, Marbury has reportedly been paid roughly $2 million per year.) The surprise move has paid off in other ways, too.

After he led the Ducks to their first Chinese Basketball Association championship...

A feature documentary on Stephon Marbury – the former NBA star basketball player who would later move to China, and currently plays for the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association – might be coming to a theater near you… Continue Reading →...

Former NBA star Stephon Marbury will star in a Chinese-language biopic of his own life, “My Other Home,” co-produced and co-financed by Sk Global and China’s Hairun Pictures. Sk Global is a joint venture between Ivanhoe Pictures and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment. Ivanhoe is just coming off its box office success with their South Korean co-production with Fox International titled “The Wailing,” which grossed approximately $50 million. The film is based on the life of Marbury, who will play himself. “My Other Home” will chronicle his ride to stardom, his troubles with the NBA and his ultimate transition to playing professional basketball in.

Sk Global, the joint venture between Ivanhoe Pictures and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, has joined the team for My Other Home. It will co-finance and co-produce the Chinese-language feature film about NBA star-turned-China hoops star Stephon Marbury, who will play himself. China's Hairun Pictures is also producing the film, which will focus on Marbury’s transition from Team USA point guard to playing pro basketball in China. He is a superstar there, leading the Beijing…...

[[tmz:video id="0_duq1ydlr"]] D'Angelo Russell isn't letting a multi-million dollar NBA contract stop him from keeping it real ... 'cause he says he's down to reach out to the streets ... by making the cheapest pair of sneakers possible. Russell was out in L.A. when we asked if he'd be willing to pull a Stephon Marbury with his new basketball shoe ... that is, make them affordable for the kids who might not have $200 to throw down on kicks. Check...

Is it just me, or does there seem to be a sudden interest in the exploration of the lives of NBA athletes on both the big and small screens, whether scripted or non-fiction? In the last year alone, we've profiled projects that LeBron James, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Stephon Marbury, Baron Davis (to name a few) are attached to, each one based on or inspired the basketball player's real-life. There was also news of Showtime developing an hour-long scripted drama set in the world of professional basketball - specifically, it was to provide a behind-the-scenes look at how an NBA team is run, and hailed from Ron Shelton, who isn't a stranger to sports-related dramas...

A biopic of Stephon Marbury, the former NBA star basketball player who would later move to China, and currently plays for the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association, will go into production in the next year. The project, to be titled “My Other Home,” is part of a 5-picture deal between Village Roadshow Pictures Asia and China’s Beijing Hairun Pictures, which was announced at the Beijing International Film Festival this morning. The two companies describe the agreement as “a long-term partnership in the joint development, financing, production and distribution of feature films.” Joint projects will initially consist of Sino-foreign co-productions with...

Village Roadshow Asia has signed a five-picture deal with China’s Beijing Hairun Pictures that will include a feature film on former NBA player Stephon Marbury’s experiences playing in the Middle Kingdom. The deal, described as a “a long-term partnership in the joint development, financing, production and distribution of feature films,” was announced today by Village Roadshow Pictures Asia CEO Ellen Eliasoph and Liu Yanming, chairman of Hairun Media & Entertainment Group…...

Village Roadshow Pictures Asia (Vrpa) and Beijing-based Hairun Pictures have entered into a strategic film production alliance and unveiled a slate of five features.

The two partners will jointly develop, finance, produce and distribute a slate of films, initially consisting of Sino-foreign co-productions, with plans to also co-produce English-language content in the near future.

The alliance was signed today at the Beijing International Film Festival (Bjiff) by Vrpa CEO Ellen Eliasoph and Liu Yanming, chairman of Hairun Media & Entertainment Group.

Larry Yang’s Mountain Cry, the partners’ initial project together, originated at last year’s Bjiff Pitch and Catch event, where it was awarded as the project with “Top Commercial Potential”. The film is currently in post-production.

The other four projects on the Vpra/Hairun slate include:

Ipo, a fast-paced contemporary drama depicting the dark underworld of China’s booming financial markets;

My Other Home (working title), a biopic of Stephon Marbury, the former...

Former NBA megastar Stephon Marbury's wife is at war over nearly a million bucks worth of jewelry which she claims was stolen right out from under her.Latasha Marbury had a pair of diamond earrings, a diamond pendant and a diamond necklace which she claims she had to sell to reduce the insanely expensive insurance premiums she was paying for her $2.5 mil jewelry collection.  Yes, even rich people get cash-strapped.Latasha claims she took...

Former NBA star Stephon Marbury has officially gotten his bitter ex-mistress off his back -- and all it cost him was nearly a million dollars in hush money payments ... TMZ has learned.As we reported, Marbury and Thurayyah Mitchell -- the personal chef he banged in 2006 while he was married -- had a legal agreement she would keep quiet about the affair, if he coughed up $900,000.Problem is ... Marbury stopped paying around the $600,000 mark. So...

Stephon Marbury's about to lose his Second home due to foreclosure, at least if his bank gets its way ... because the former NBA star has allegedly failed to pay his mortgage yet again.U.S. Bank International filed legal docs against Marbury, claiming he hasn't made mortgage payments on his 2-bedroom 2-bathroom NYC condo since March 2010, and currently owes $844,035 on the property ... which he purchased in 2006 for more than a million dollars.U.S.

Stephon Marbury's ex-mistress is hell-bent on collecting her hush money from the ex-nba star ... even if that means going after his precious assets, like a couple of luxury cars. TMZ broke the story ... Marbury and Thurayyah Mitchell -- the personal chef he boinked, while he was married, back in 2006 -- had an agreement: she would keep quiet about the affair, as long as he coughed up $900,000. Problem is ... Marbury stopped making payments around the $600,000 mark,...

Married ex-nba star Stephon Marbury learned the hard way ... if you promise your mistress a boatload of "hush money" in writing ... you will Have to cough up the cash, this according to a NY judge. Long story short ... Marbury struck a deal with Thurayyah Mitchell -- the personal chef he banged back in 2006 -- to keep quiet on their love affair, in exchange for a $900,000 payday. But Marbury stopped making the payments in 2010 -- after...

"Basketball Wives" star Tasha Marbury's alleged stalker is fighting fire with fire -- filing a police report claiming She's the one who actually needs protection from Tasha's wrath. TMZ broke the story ... Tasha went to NYPD first, filing a report last month claiming a woman using the name Monet Merchand is obsessed with her and Tasha's husband, ex-nba star Stephon Marbury.Tasha says she and Stephon are continuously harassed on the Internet by the woman...

Tasha Marbury says she's being harassed online by a woman obsessed with her husband -- and now the "Basketball Wives" star has filed a police report against her. Tasha -- who's married to former NBA star Stephon Marbury -- filed the report with the Harrison P.D. in NY on January 31 against a woman going by the name of Monet Merchand. Tasha claims Merchand has been negatively blogging and tweeting about her. Tasha claims Merchand...

Beijing — Brad Pitt is now on China's version of Twitter, and his mysterious first tweet has drawn thousands of comments.

The actor's verified Sina Weibo account sent the message Monday: "It is the truth. Yup, I'm coming." That was forwarded more than 31,000 times and netted over 14,000 comments, many expressing surprise. He gathered more than 100,000 followers.

The IMDb.com movie website says Pitt was banned from ever entering China because of his role in the 1997 "Seven Years in Tibet." The government was upset about the film's portrayal of harsh Chinese rule in Tibet. His later film "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" with Angelina Jolie was popular in China.

Former NBA star Stephon Marbury who now plays for China's professional basketball league is prolific on Weibo and has over 779,000 followers.

Ex-nba star Stephon Marbury is refusing to pay another cent in hush money to a former mistress -- who worked as his private chef back in 2006 -- claiming his ex-lover isn't entitled to any cash ... because she blabbed their little secret to the world.You'll recall, the mistress -- a woman named Thurayyah Mitchell -- filed court docs back in October, trying to force Marbury to make good on the $300,000 he allegedly owed her as part of their confidentiality agreement.

The producers of "Basketball Wives" are probably screaming "Save It For The Show!!!" ... after it was revealed former NBA and soon-to-be reality star Stephon Marbury had an affair with his personal chef and paid her nearly A Million Bucks to keep a lid on it.Marbury -- who along with wife Latasha will appear next season on the show -- hooked up with the family's chef, Thurayyah Mitchell, five times during her employment ... this according...

Hopefully they get VH1 in China ... 'cause ex-nba'er Stephon Marbury's super hot wife has been tapped to be on the next season of "Basketball Wives."Sources close to the production tell us ... Tasha Marbury is in final talks to join the show -- a much needed cast replacement after Royce, Jennifer and Kesha were all axed. We're told producers approached Tasha for two main reasons ... she's actually a basketball wife (she and Stephon married...

Good thing Stephon Marbury's making bank playing ball in China -- because his L.A. mansion was just sold at a foreclosure auction.According to new court docs, obtained by TMZ, Stephon owed $3.1 million on the 7-bdrm 8-bath 8,000 sq. ft. L.A. property -- and the house was just sold to a lucky buyer for $2.275 million.The docs don't say whether the bank plans to go after Marbury for the balance -- or if this settles his debt.