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A half-dozen showbiz figures, each of whom hails from a marginalized community within America, have recorded a public service announcement that is launching on Tuesday — which is National Voter Registration Day, and exactly seven weeks to the day from the 2024 presidential election — calling upon their fellow Americans to register to vote.

Participants in the campaign — which was organized by the media production and management consultancy Icon Mann and will air 48 times on the Revolt cable network from Sept. 17-29 — include producer/director Ali LeRoi, who created Everybody Hates Chris; Tony-winning stage and screen actress Anika Noni Rose; Grammy-winning singer/actress Estelle; actor/activist Jason Butler Harner; actor/producer Michael Ealy; Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated actress Shohreh Aghdashloo.

Entitled “I, Too, Am America,” the bit was inspired by the 1926 Langston Hughes poem “I, Too,” which celebrates America’s diversity. The PSA was directed by Shadae Lamar Smith and features portraits by the aforementioned Ali LeRoi.

Exclusive: On the eve of the virtual EFM, international sales stalwarts Vincent Maraval and Kim Fox are rebranding their foreign sales banner MadRiver International to The Veterans, we can reveal.

Maraval, Fox and Marc Butan launched MadRiver International at AFM 2019 after first creating Imr International in 2016 as an alliance between Butan’s MadRiver Pictures and Maraval’s Wild Bunch International. The two companies remain shareholders in The Veterans.

Santa Monica-based banner The Veterans will run as a stand-alone company, with Fox running operations. The plan remains to serve as a sales agent on English-language, mid- and larger-budget films for the international theatrical and streaming markets.

In addition to Maraval and Fox, the LA and Paris-based team will include sales executives Lesly Gross, Noemie Devide, and Livia Van Der Staay, who will be meeting with buyers under the new banner at the virtual EFM next month. Additional details on the slate...

Grammy winner Young Thug has joined the team for Throw It Back, the musical dramedy that already stars Shahadi Wright Joseph and is in the works from Feigco Entertainment and Tiffany Haddish’s She Ready Productions. The Atlanta rapper will now co-star alongside Joseph in his acting debut as well as executive produce and supervise the soundtrack.

Shadae Lamar Smith is set to direct from a script he co-wrote with Rochée Jeffrey. Deadline scooped that the pic was a hot sales title at the ongoing Cannes virtual market, where Mad River is repping international and is introducing the project. CAA Media Finance is repping domestic rights.

Throw It Back centers on Wytrell (Joseph), a high school senior who has never stood out from the crowd. After a controversial superstar Miami rapper (Young Thug) decides to feature the renowned dance team from her high school in his latest music video, it throws the school into chaos,...

Exclusive: Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) and Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip) are set to produce musical dance dramedy Throw It Back, which MadRiver and CAA Media Finance will be launching at the virtual Cannes market.

Haddish will take a supporting role in the hot package, which will star Us and The Lion King (reboot) actress Shahadi Wright Joseph. The ascending teenage actress voiced young Nala in the 2019 Disney juggernaut and also stars in Amazon’s horror series Them.

Throw It Back follows Wytrell, a high school senior who has never stood out from the crowd. After a controversial superstar Miami rapper decides to feature the renowned dance team from her high school in his latest music video, it throws the school into chaos, and Wytrell battles for a spot on the squad and her final chance to be in the spotlight. The film is a dance-filled musical dramedy set to a soundtrack...