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Niels Swinkels has been promoted to president of international distribution at Focus Features. He was previously EVP and managing director.

In his new position, Swinkels will continue to work closely with Focus Features’ Chairman Peter Kujawski, and the Focus senior leadership team to further the indie’s position in the theatrical marketplace. Swinkels will continue to report to the strategic direction of Universal Pictures International’s theatrical distribution and rollout of films across Universal Pictures, Focus Features and DreamWorks Animation.

“Over the past few years, Niels has played an essential role on all global releases, partnering with the Focus team to bring alignment to their international slate, amplifying the label’s brand across the international markets and providing guidance on films to greenlight, while also helping to maximize Helen Parker’s Content Group titles across the globe,” Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of Distribution for Universal Pictures International, wrote in a memo.

Universal Pictures International’s EVP and Manager Director Niels Swinkels will now add President, International Distribution, Focus Features, to his current role as EVP & MD, Universal Pictures International.

Swinkels began as a Marketing Director at Universal in 2004. He was then appointed VP of Sales & Distribution for the Emea region in 2006 before being promoted to SVP of the same region in 2009. He then spent four years as Managing Director of the UK and Ireland before being named EVP International Distribution in 2014. He was promoted into his current role in January 2021.

Swinkels started his film industry career at PolyGram Filmed Entertainment in The Netherlands, where he served in various roles before serving as the marketing manager at Universal Pictures Benelux. From 2000 -2004, he was managing director of Independent Films Netherlands. The exec is a native of The Netherlands.

Here’s the internal email from Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of Distribution for Universal...

Niels Swinkels, EVP and managing director at Universal Pictures International, (Upi) has been promoted and will add president of international distribution at Focus Features to his role.

Los Angeles-based Swinkels joined Universal in 2004 as marketing director and was appointed vice president of sales & distribution for the Emea region in 2006, becoming SVP of the region in 2009. He served four years as managing director of the UK & Ireland before he was named EVP international distribution in 2014, and was promoted to his current role in January 2021.

In his new role, announced on Tuesday morning by Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, president of distribution at Upi,...

Universal Pictures Content Group (Upcg) has started production onMalcolm Venville’suntitled Iron Maiden feature documentary, featuring interviews with past and present band members, devoted followers including Javier Bardem, Lars Ulrich and Gene Simmons,and unseen footage.

Upcg holds global rights and Universal Pictures International is set to release in cinemas internationally in the autumn of 2025, coinciding with the band’s 50th anniversary year.

US theatrical distribution is yet to be confirmed.

The documentary is produced by the UK’s Dominic Freeman, whose credits include Spirits In The Forest – A Depeche Mode Film. Upcg’s Helen Parker executive produces.

The documentary profiles the heavy metal band,...

Universal Pictures Content Group has acquired UK-Ireland rights to Six The Musical Live!, filmed at London’s Vaudeville Theatre.

The Tony award-winning musical, which started out life as an Edinburgh Festival Fringe show in 2017, tells the story of the six wives of English Tudor king Henry VIII, as they step out of the shadow of their infamous husband and reclaim their own narratives. The musical is written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss.

The six original West End cast members of Jarnéia Richard-Noel, Millie O’Connell, Natalie Paris, Alexia McIntosh, Aimie Atkinson and Maiya Quansah-Breed will reprise their roles for the one-off performance,...

Get into the holiday spirit with The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland, available to stream in the U.S. on Prime Video and Hulu beginning November 15.

The Sky Original Film will premiere the film on the Sky Cinema platform on December 13 as a centerpiece of their Christmas offering, alongside their extensive catalog of movies available on demand.

The film is based on the bestselling book written by Carys Bexington, illustrated by Kate Hindley, and published by Macmillan. The book mashes up two classic tales: Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Clement Clarke Moore’s poem, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (also known as “A Visit from St Nicholas”).

The plot features characters from both story worlds, including St Nick, voiced by Gerard Butler, The Queen of Hearts, voiced by Emilia Clarke, and Alice in Wonderland voiced by Simone Ashley.

In the film, St Nick receives a delayed letter on...

Last Christmas, Emilia Clarke got a heart, but this year she and her castmates are in the giving mood, as we're getting a new animated classic-to-be, The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland. The film's streaming release date has been set, and will be viewable in UK and US homes just in time for the holiday season.

As reported by Variety, the mash-up of The Night Before Christmas and Alice in Wonderland has an extremely star-studded cast, including Clarke as the voice of The Queen of Hearts, Gerard Butler as St. Nick/Santa Claus, and Simone Ashley of Bridgerton fame as Alice in Wonderland.

What is the Plot of The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland? Your browser does not support the video tag.

The musical movie is based on Carys Bexington's bestselling book of the same name, which mashes up Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland with the classic Clement Clarke Moore poem,...

“The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland,” the animated musical featuring the voices of Emilia Clarke, Gerard Butler, and Simone Ashley, will premiere on Nov. 15 on Prime Video and Hulu in the U.S., Amazon announced Friday. In addition, the film will bow in the U.K. on Sky Cinema on Dec. 13.

Directed by Oscar and BAFTA winner Peter Baynton, the film is based on Carys Bexington’s bestselling book, which mashes up Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” and Clement Clarke Moore’s poem “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” (also known as “A Visit from St Nicholas”). In the film, after receiving a delayed letter on Christmas Eve from the Princess of Hearts, St Nick (Butler) and his team of reindeer head to Wonderland, where they’re greeted by the mean and miserable Queen of Hearts (Clarke), who hates all things Christmas, especially presents. With the help of Alice (Ashley...

Star-studded animated holiday feature “The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland” has set a streaming release date in the U.S. and U.K.

The musical movie, which features the voices of Emilia Clarke (“Game of Thrones”), Gerard Butler (“Greenland”) and Simone Ashley (“Bridgerton”), is based on Carys Bexington’s bestselling book, which mashes up Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” and Clement Clarke Moore’s poem “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” (also known as “A Visit from St Nicholas”). The book is illustrated by Kate Hindley and published by Macmillan.

Peter Baynton, who directed the Oscar- and BAFTA-winning animated short “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse,” helms the feature, which has been adapted by Sara Daddy (writing entirely in rhyming couplets) and features original music and songs from long-time Robbie Williams collaborator Guy Chambers and Grammy winner Amy Wadge.

Simone Ashley and Gerard Butler in the recording...

Sweden’s international feature submission for the 97th Academy Awards has been snapped up by Universal Pictures Content Group (Upcg).

Upcg has acquired all international rights to the film, with Universal Pictures International planning a theatrical release across multiple territories. It became Sweden’s highest-grossing documentary ever upon its domestic release.

The feature documentary, directed by Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson, follows the duo as they take a roadtrip across France with Hammar’s father Lars, a retired schoolteacher.

After Lars winds down his 40-year-career, Hammar expects his father to enjoy a “third age” with travel, wine and experiences. Instead, he watches him become increasingly tired and disinterested. The answer, Hammar realizes, is to recreate the same French road trip they used to take as a family in the distant past – a move he hopes will rekindle his father’s zest for life.

“This unique film has a special place in all our hearts,...

“Andy Murray: Resurfacing” director Olivia Cappuccini is set to helm a new documentary about model and transgender activist Munroe Bergdorf.

Titled “Love & Rage: Munroe Bergdorf,” the doc is produced by Andee Ryder (“The Contestant”) and Sofia Ismail Martin (“McQueen”). Ian Bonhôte (“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story”) executive produces alongside Helen Parker of Universal Pictures Content Group, a division of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group.

The doc, which recently wrapped, focuses on “one of the most talked about and important issues of our time – how to find yourself and your truth,” according to the synopsis. It follows Bergdorf’s journey and provides hope for those facing similar challenges.

Bergdorf is a model, writer, broadcaster and transgender activist who became the first trans cover star for Cosmopolitan magazine in the U.K.

The documentary is set to premiere next spring.

“I’m so excited to announce that we’ve wrapped filming on my...

The details of Humphrey Bogart’s epic marriage to Lauren Bacall will now be on the big screen.

Just months after late icon Bacall would have been 100 years old, the new documentary “Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes” puts her romance with longtime collaborator and co-star Bogart front and center. The duo’s son Stephen Humphrey Bogart worked closely with Humphrey Bogart Estate CEO Robbert de Klerk and director Kathryn Ferguson, who previously helmed the Sinéad O’Connor doc “Nothing Compares.”

“Life Comes in Flashes” is billed as an “inside look at one of Hollywood’s greatest cinematic icons, telling Humphrey Bogart’s story through his relationships with the five formidable women in his life – his mother and his four wives. Each relationship offers a deep and intimate understanding of a man for whom stardom was hard-won and richly deserved.”

BIFA-winning, IDA-nominated, and BAFTA Breakthrough-selected filmmaker Ferguson opted for the narration...

Emilia Clarke, Gerard Butler and Simone Ashley have been cast to lead the voices on the animated musical ‘The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland.’

Gerard Butler is set to voice St. Nick, while Emilia Clarke will play the Queen of Hearts and ‘Bridgerton’s’ Simone Ashley will play Alice.

Based on Carys Bexington’s bestselling book which combined two classic stories: Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and Clement Clarke Moore’s poem ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,’ the animation is said to be full of fun and festive twists. The synopsis reads This time, it’s St Nick’s turn for an adventure down the rabbit hole. There he meets the Mad Hatter, recast as a high-fashion, reindeer-loving tea party host; the White Rabbit, an endearingly scatty and forgetful character; the Queen of Hearts, a Scrooge-esque tinsel-hater, her antagonistic sidekick, the Cheshire Cat and Alice herself, whose kindness helps St.

“Nothing Compares” director Kathryn Ferguson has set her new feature, a documentary about Hollywood icon Humphrey Bogart, at Universal Pictures Content Group.

Titled “Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes,” it is the first documentary about the star endorsed by his estate.

“The film focuses on the icon of Hollywood’s golden age, Humphrey Bogart, and is framed around his relationships with the five formidable women in his life – his mother and his four wives, including Lauren Bacall,” reads the logline. “Featuring unprecedented access to rare footage from the estate, and narrated exclusively in his own words, ‘Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes’ explores his journey to become the of star of timeless classics ‘Casablanca,’ ‘Maltese Falcon’’ and ‘The Big Sleep.’ Each relationship offers a deep and intimate understanding of a man for whom stardom was hard won and much deserved.”

The project, which has just wrapped production, will also see Ferguson reunite...

Universal Pictures Content Group and Passion Pictures have wrapped on a new documentary about the nun who inspired 1995 Oscar-winning hit “Dead Man Walking,” Variety can exclusively confirm.

Titled “Rebel Nun,” the doc follows the story of Catholic nun and leading death penalty abolitionist Sister Helen Prejean. Susan Sarandaon won her first and only Oscar playing Prejean in “Dead Man Walking,” which was written and directed by Tim Robbins and co-starred Sean Penn as a convicted murderer.

“Rebel Nun” will explore Sister Helen’s life to date and her ongoing fight against the death penalty.

“Sister Helen Prejean was a humble nun from Louisiana who embarked on a controversial battle that would change the world,” reads the logline. “Now 84 years old, Sister Helen is currently fighting to stop the execution of a Death Row inmate in Oklahoma even lawmakers are convinced is innocent.”

The doc is directed by Dominic Sivyer (“The...

Lil Nas X’s feature documentary has been acquired by Universal Pictures Content Group for international distribution.

“Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero” is a fly-on-the-wall feature helmed by Oscar-nominated director Carlos López Estrada (“Billie Eilish: When the Party’s Over”) and filmmaker Zac Manuel. It follows the Grammy-winning artist as he embarks on his first world tour.

It is set to be released internationally on digital platforms May 20.

“The diaristic film is a remarkably intimate portrait of a musician navigating identity, family, expectations and acceptance, all while reflecting on his place within the legacy of Black, queer performers,” reads the logline. “Shot over the course of 60 days with unparalleled access, the film follows Montero Hill, aka Lil Nas X, on an emotional odyssey through the creation and performance of the critically acclaimed ‘Long Live Montero’ show.”

Variety called the documentary a “rambunctious and at times exhilarating backstage concert movie,...

Exclusive: Universal Pictures Content Group has acquired international rights to Alex Gibney’s latest documentary Musk, about the lightning-rod entrepreneur and businessman.

Negotiations first began in Cannes with Black Bear International and the multimillion-dollar pact is among the biggest ever for a documentary out of the Cannes Market.

In another lucrative presale we revealed in the spring, HBO Documentary Films pre-bought North American streaming and TV rights to the project. A domestic theatrical release remains in play.

Taxi to the Dark Side Oscar winner and Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room nominee Gibney has been working on the project for months. It recently was described by the producers as “a definitive and unvarnished examination” of the provocative X (formerly Twitter) owner.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk recently reassumed his position as the world’s richest man with a net worth in the range of $187B, but the mercurial tech...

“Bullet Train” duo, director-producer David Leitch and his producing partner Kelly McCormick, have partnered with Universal Pictures Content Group for Hollywood stunt performer series “Action.”

The 6 x 60′ series follows elite stunt performers as they push themselves to the limit and risk personal sacrifice for professional success and aims to capture their real lives. It will feature exclusive behind-the-scenes access to some of Hollywood’s biggest movie sets including “The Fall Guy,” directed by Leitch and produced by McCormick, a film that celebrates these talented individuals as the crew go about their work as stunt doubles, coordinators and second unit directors on set.

The series, which is currently in post-production, will be produced through Leitch and McCormick’s production and action design company, 87North. The duo serve as executive producers on “Action,” working with producers Josh Oreck and Chelsea Allen (“Prop Culture”) and director Bridger Nielson (“All Things Must Pass”). NBC Universal Global Distribution...