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Tokyo Appointment

Noted Japanese director Ando Momoko has been named as the ambassador for this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival.

She also features, alongside her father Okuda Eiji in the festival’s newly-released poster, which recreates a scene from Ozu Yasujiro’s “Tokyo Story” and in which Okuda and Ando represent the classic film’s Ryu Chishu and Hara Setsuko characters. The poster image, shot at the rooftop garden of Kitte Marunouchi Building, with Tokyo Station in the background, was designed by Koshino Junko, who has created the festival’s key visuals for the past three years.

Tokyo Iff 2023 festival poster.

This is the 120th anniversary of Japanese film master Ozu’s birth, and the 60th anniversary of his death.

The festival, which says that its key themes this year will be “diversity” and “the possibilities of cinema,” will run Oct. 23 – Nov. 1 in the Hibiya-Yurakucho-Marunouchi-Ginza area.

The 36thTIFF opening...

Company also hires development producer Eveliina Mauno and promotes Janne Lähteenmäki to junior producer.

Helsinki-headquartered Yellow Film & TV has appointed Jani Hartikainen, formerly head of drama and development at MTV Oy in Finland, as chief content officer.

Hartikainen will oversee domestic and Nordic content, working out of Yellow’s Helsinki office and reporting directly to CEO Olli Haikka.

Hartikainen has recently worked on projects such as Sunday Lunch, Rantabaariand Reindeer Mafia, as well as the forthcoming big-budget series Estonia and Conflict. In addition to working at MTV, he also worked at Nelonen, Telia, CMore, Nordisk, Fox and Svensk.

Yellow...

Exclusive: The Audiovisual Producers Finland (Apfi) today announced the slate of new series its members are bringing to Berlin (scroll down for the full list) alongside a new industry event titled Focus on Finland to be held during the festival.

Focus on Finland will be an official part of the Berlinale Series Market schedule and will feature an industry panel titled ‘Why So Series?’ which will focus on Nordic scripted comedy and drama series.

The panel will take place at CinemaxX Theatre on Potsdamer Platz on February 20 and will feature writer Brendan Foley (The Man Who Died), producer Jackie Larkin (Strike), commissioner Arttu Nurmi (Modern Men), and distribution executive Jean-Michel Ciszewski (Bnei Aruba). The panel will be moderated by Marike Muselaers, Chief Content & Partnerships Officer, Lumiere Group.

“This year we’re focusing on expanding the industry and audience perceptions of what makes Nordic Noir,” said Laura Kuulasmaa, Executive Director of Apfi.

Distributors reported brisk business at the annual TV market.

Mipcom returned in full strength this week after a three-year hiatus, with sellers reporting packed diaries and brisk business at the TV market.

Some 3100 buyers attended this year, with the biggest numbers coming from the US, followed by the UK, France, Germany and Spain. They included global and regional streamers, AVOD platforms and broadcast channels from around the world.

Here is a round-up of some of the key scripted deals and company acquisitions announced at Mipcom this week:

All3Media International pre-sold Drama Republic’s new murder mystery period drama, The Confessions...

Distributors reported brisk business at the annual TV market.

Mipcom returned in full strength this week after a three-year hiatus, with sellers reporting packed diaries and brisk business at the TV market.

Some 3100 buyers attended this year, with the biggest numbers coming from the US, followed by the UK, France, Germany and Spain. They included global and regional streamers, AVOD platforms and broadcast channels from around the world.

Here is a round-up of some of the key scripted deals and company acquisitions announced at Mipcom this week:

All3Media International pre-sold Drama Republic’s new murder mystery period drama, The Confessions...

UK producer Jackie Larkin to lead joint venture.

WME Independent and Nordic production studio Yellow Film & TV are teaming on an English-language feature slate of cast-driven comedies in a joint venture to be headed by UK producer Jackie Larkin.

Larkin’s credits include J. K. Rowling’s Strike series, Mrs. Wilson and Stella Days.

Yellow Film, led by CEO Olli Haikka, and based in Helsinki, has a strong track record of producing English-language content such as Janus Metz Pedersen’s Borg Vs McEnroe, co-produced Sf Film and John Webster’s Finnish documentary feature The Happy Worker.

“In partnership with WME Independent,...

Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has acquired North American rights to the comedy Supercool, starring Jake Short (This Is the Year), Miles J. Harvey (The Babysitter) and Damon Wayans Jr., with plans to release it in theaters and on digital and VOD on February 11.

The film from director Teppo Airaksinen (Juice) centers on Neil Tobbler (Short), who has gone through most of his life feeling invisible and fantasizing about his long-time crush, Summer (Madison Davenport). When Neil and his best friend Gilbert (Harvey) find out that Summer is throwing a birthday party, Gilbert pressures Neil to ask her for an invitation. The plan fails, and Neil embarrasses himself in front of the girl of his dreams.

Desperate and humiliated, Neil wishes upon the universe to be someone else—a supercool version of himself—the next day waking up and realizing that the universe has granted him his wish.

GÖTEBORG, Sweden — Munich-based Global Screen has acquired international distribution rights to Finnish procedural series “Fast,” set up at “Nurses”’ producer Yellow Film & TV, marking the first collaboration between Telepool’s sales division and the Finnish powerhouse.

A 10-part series, “Fast” centers on a special task force within the police department that tracks down fugitives. The C More Original is based on an idea from exec producer Olli Haikka. Tatiana Elf, winner of Finland’s local 2019 Emmy -the Golden Venla- for “King Liar” (“Keisari Aarnio”) is creator/writer. Some of Finland’s hottest helmers have boarded the series: Jalmari Helander, known for his breakthrough genre film “Big Game” starring Samuel L. Jackson; Hamy Ramezan, whose anticipated debut feature “Any Day Now” was a buzzy work in progress at this week’s Göteborg’s Nordic Film Market; and established director Saara Cantell (“Devil’s Bride”).

Helander said: “For me, as a huge police series fan,...