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Jasmine Trinca and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (“Like Crazy”) are set to star in Paolo Strippoli’s high-concept Italian thriller “The Spiral” (“L’estranea”), which France’s Le Pacte has boarded for international sales.

Strippoli is Italy’s hottest young horror genre helmer, having made a splash with hit Netflix original “A Classic Horror Story,” which he co-directed with Roberto De Feo, followed by “Flowing” (“Piove”). His upcoming chiller “The Holy Boy” (“La Valle dei Sorrisi”) is tipped to bow at the upcoming Venice Film Festival.

Shooting is currently underway in Italy on “The Spiral” (see first-look image above), which also stars Romana Maggiora Vergano (“There’s Still Tomorrow”) and Adriano Giannini. The film is being lead-produced by Rome-based Propaganda in tandem with France’s Kazak Productions and Belgium’s Tarantula Film with support from Italy’s Rai Cinema. The planned delivery date is February 2026.

“The Spiral” centers on a mother-daughter relationship that...

Palme d’Or-winning Italian director Nanni Moretti (The Son’s Room, We Have a Pope) is teaming up with French star Louis Garrel (Little Women, The Dreamers) and Italian actress Jasmine Trinca (The Gunman) for his new film, the romantic drama Succederà questa notte (It Will Happen Tonight).

The feature, loosely based on the short story collection Hungry Heart (Lev Raev) by Israeli writer Eshkol Nevo, is set to begin shooting in Spain and Italy this fall. Moretti adapted Nevo’s novel Three Floors Up as the 2021 film Three Floors.

Trinca made her feature debut in Moretti’s The Son’s Room in 2001, but this will be their first collaboration since The Caiman in 2006. The Italian actress has been splitting her time between features, including Léa Todorov’s Maria Montessori and Ildikó Enyedi’s The Story of My Wife (2021), and TV work, appearing in acclaimed Italian series La Storia and The Art of Joy...

Italian director Francesca Archibugi will direct sex-trafficking drama “Illusion” toplining Jasmine Trinca as an intrepid magistrate investigating a prostitution ring with links to the European parliament and Michele Riondino (“Young Montalbano”) as a psychologist.

Shooting is set to start next month in central Italy on the roughly $8 million film that will reunite Archibugi with Trinca who played the lead in the director’s feminist fascist-era saga “La Storia” that was Italy’s biggest TV event of 2023. Italy’s Fandango is co-producing “Illusion” with Rai Cinema and Belgium’s Tarantula.

Fandango sales is launching pre-sales on “Illusion” at the European Film Market.

Trinca (pictured) is an A-list Italian actor who was on the Cannes jury in 2023. In “Illusion” she will play judge Cristina Camponeschi who pursues a prostitution ring with ties to Eastern Europe and to the European Parliament. The investigation kicks off after a 16-year-old named Rosa Lazar “dressed like a Dior supermodel,...

Prolific Italian director Ferzan Ozpetek’s female-centric ensemble drama “Diamonds” is fast becoming Italy’s first standout title of 2025. The film has scored sales in some 40 territories while becoming the country’s No. 1 local box office draw so far this year.

“Diamonds,” which is set both in the present day and in the 1970s, revolves around the life and love affairs of a group of warmhearted women who work in a large Rome cinema costume company run by two sisters “who are as different as they are close,” as the synopsis puts it.

Hailed by Italian critics as a love letter to women, the art of costume design and the emotional power of cinema, “Diamonds” has been shining locally, pulling more than $15 million – and counting – at the Italian box office since its Dec. 19 theatrical release via Vision Distribution.

The film’s ensemble cast includes Luisa Ranieri, who played the emotionally...

The national broadcaster Rai is turning Mario Tobino’s novel Le Libere Donne di Magliano into a television series in Italy. Set in a Tuscan psychiatric institution during WWII, the drama promises to delve into themes of women’s resilience and societal problems. The series, produced by Endemol Shine Italy and Rai Fiction, stars Lino Guanciale, Grace Kicaj, Gaia Messerklinger, and Fabrizio Biggio in leading roles. Endemol Italy’s head, Leonardo Pasquinelli, praised the project as “a powerful narrative of resilience, freedom, and self-worth,” underlining its historical and contemporary relevance.

The international television market is brimming with activity. At the Unifrance TV Export Awards in Paris, various productions were recognized for their brilliance. Newen Connect’s art heist drama Cat’s Eyes gained critical acclaim, with CEO Rodolphe Buet applauding its high-quality storytelling and bold vision.

In Australia, Sbs made waves by acquiring a sizable collection of international content from Beta Film.

Rai Adapting Mario Tobino’s Tuscan World War Two Novel

Italy’s Rai is adapting Mario Tobino’s influential novel Le Libere Donne di Magliano- Mondadori Libri. Endemol Shine Italy and Rai Fiction are producing the adaptation, which is set in Tuscany during the Second World War and follows a psychiatrist challenging the repressive confines of a women’s psychiatric hospital. Within this microcosm of society, some women find solace and an unexpected sense of freedom within a restrictive society, while others are unjustly confined for defying societal norms. The series stars Lino Guanciale, Grace Kicaj, Gaia Messerklinger and Fabrizio Biggio. Endemol Italy boss Leonardo Pasquinelli said: “This co-production illustrates our strong partnership with Rai and our combined commitment to deliver high-quality, culturally significant stories. Le Libere Donne is a powerful narrative of resilience, freedom and self-worth, bridging period drama with contemporary relevance, showcasing the impactful work of Mario Tobino.

As part of Spotify 2024 Wrapped, the company released data about the top podcasts on the service. Here’s the ones we know about. Click through to learn more and listen - whatever podcast player you use.

Global Podcasts Detail 1: The Joe Rogan Experience 2: Call Her Daddy 3: Huberman Lab 4: This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von 5: The Diary of a CEO with Steve Bartlett 6: Serial Killers 7: Relatos de la Noche 8: Crime Junkie 9: Café Com Deus Pai | Podcast oficial 10: El Podcast de Marian Rojas Estapé US Podcasts Detail 1: The Joe Rogan Experience 2: Call Her Daddy 3: This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von 4: Crime Junkie 5: The Daily 6: The Tucker Carlson Show 7: Huberman Lab 8: Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard 9: Smosh Reads Reddit Stories 10: Shawn Ryan Show UK Podcasts Detail 1: The Joe Rogan Experience 2: The...

The acclaimed Italian television drama series “La Storia” has signed agreements to expand its international distribution significantly. Based on Elsa Morante’s landmark 1974 novel, the World War II series is streamlining in North America through U.S. and Canadian distribution with MHz Choice. Dual deals in Israel with Yes and Hot networks were also reached. Earlier partnerships were made with several Nordic broadcasters. Beta Film handles global distribution for the series.

The series tells the story of Ida Ramundo, a Jewish widow living in Rome during and after World War II with her two sons. Actress Jasmine Trinca stars as Ida. An ensemble cast of renowned Italian performers bring the production to life, including Asia Argento, Elio Germano, and Valerio Mastandrea.

Director Francesca Archibugi adapted the screenplay from the novel along with writers Francesco Piccolo, Giulia Calenda, and Ilaria Macchia. Picomedia and Thalie Images produce the series in partnership with broadcasters Rai Fiction and Beta.

Exclusive: Italian drama ‘La Storia’ has been picked up for the U.S. and Israel. The series, adapted from the iconic Elsa Morante bestseller, is set in Rome during and soon after World War II. It stars Jasmine Trinca (The Gunman) in the lead role.

MHz Choice, the SVOD service that majors in bringing prestige international television to North American viewers, has acquired it for the U.S. and Canada. Elsewhere, Yes and Hot have picked it up for Israel. Beta Film is handling distribution and cut the deals. It has already sold it to Nrk in Norway, Yle in Finland, Svt in Sweden, Dr in Denmark and Ruv in Iceland.

The series is set during World War II and its immediate aftermath. It turns on the story of a Jewish woman, Ida Ramundo, a widowed mother living in Rome, and her two sons. The book was first published in...

Veteran producers Koby Gal Raday (The Band’s Visit, On the Spectrum) and Ilda Santiago (Concrete Jungle) are teaming up with Brazil’s Mymama Entertainment and Germany’s Beta Film to launch a new international production company, Janeiro Studios, that aims to produce high-end TV and indie feature films out of the Latin America and beyond. Koby Gal-Raday will serve as CEO, and Santiago will be managing director.

The company has the backing of Beta Film, one of Europe’s leading indie outfits, producers of Babylon Berlin and period romancer Sisi. Mayra Faour Auad’s Mymama Entertainment, a leading Brazil production group, and International Emmy winner for 2018 documentary series Hack The City and doc feature Our Blood, Our Body.

“Brazil is ready to expand its creative and commercial boundaries, and the international market expects it from us now,” said Faour Auad.

With offices in Brazil and Europe, Janeiro Studios aims to...

Director Francesca Archibugi, whose feminist fascist-era saga “La Storia” was Italy’s biggest TV event of 2023, is set to return behind camera on World War II drama “The Italian Chapel” set in Scotland’s Orkney Islands.

Inspired by a true story, “Italian Chapel” is centered on a clash between the local Orkney community and prisoners of war who are confined there. Against this backdrop, a secret romance springs up between an Italian prisoner and a Scottish islander.

The film, which was originally developed by Working Title Films and the British Film Institute (BFI), is being co-produced by Andrew Bendel’s U.K. production company Blue Horizon Productions (“Metroland”) in tandem with Marco Belardi’s Rome-based Greenboo Production. Greenboo is the Banijay-owned company behind hits such as “Perfect Stangers,” Gabriele Muccino’s “There Is No Place Like Home,” and Paolo Virzì’s “Like Crazy,” starring Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, which launched from Director’s Fortnight in 2016.

Archibugi,...

Beta Film has announced a half-dozen sales to European public broadcasters on high-end period drama “La Storia,” which is Italian pubcaster Rai’s biggest event show of the year and is world premiering at the Rome Film Fest.

The sweeping eight-episode saga, set in Italy during the final years of World War II and its immediate aftermath, is based on a globally bestselling novel by the late great Elsa Morante, whom “My Brilliant Friend” author Elena Ferrante often cites as her primary literary reference.

Set mostly in Rome between 1940 and 1948, “La Storia” looks at fascism and Italy’s early postwar period through a female prism. Ida, a half Jewish widow with a teenage son named Nino, is raped by a drunken German soldier and gets pregnant with Useppe. The tale is centered on how she survives her predicament.

Ahead of the Rome Film Fest premiere of its first two episodes on Friday,...

Investment in original content production continues to grow in Italy where resources across all genres reached a total of €1.8 billion ($1.9 billion) thanks to increased investments from U.S. streamers. But linear TV remains the Italian industry’s main driver.

That’s the main takeaway from the annual report on local production presented on Friday by Italy’s TV producers’ association APA at Rome’s Mia market

The $1.9 billion pot of cash poured into Italian productions of all types in 2022 represented only a small increase over 2021, which is when local originals were boosted by a 55% post-pandemic growth spurt, according to figures from the APA report.

Film and TV product currently account for 55% of these investments with an increase in resources now going into documentaries and animation product mostly destined for streaming play.

“The constantly growing investment from streamers is currently worth almost a third of the total TV market,” said APA chief Chiara Sbarigia.

Beta Film has released a moving trailer for the Ukrainian war drama “In Her Car,” a gripping series about the ongoing crisis told through the eyes of those who are living it, the company announced ahead of Mipcom.

“In Her Car” (10 x 30’) is produced by Starlight Media and Gaumont in co-production with France Télévisions, Zdf (Germany) and Swiss public broadcaster Srf. The show was also boarded in its early stages by Nordic public broadcasters Svt (Sweden), Dr (Denmark), Yle (Finland), Nrk TV (Norway) and RÚV (Iceland). Showrunner and creator Eugen Tunick directs alongside Arkadiy Nepytaliuk.

The story begins with the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Lydia, played by Anastasia Karpenko, (“How is Katia?”), is a seasoned therapist who alongside her practice fields questions and concerns from her followers on social media. Privately, her life is in disarray, as she tries to divorce a husband who not only cheated on...

Beta Film has acquired international sales rights to the Greek drama series “The Beach,” a primetime sensation for Greek public broadcaster Ert, the Munich-based production and distribution powerhouse announced on the eve of Mipcom.

The 24-part one hour series begins on an idyllic commune on the shores of Crete in 1969, where love and freedom intertwine, until a murder exposes the messy entanglements spurred on by the hippie residents. Yet even the straightlaced police officer assigned to investigate the crime finds he can’t resist the temptations of paradise.

Stefanos Blatsos (“Love After”) directs the hit drama set at Matala Beach in Crete with scripts from George Chrysovitsanos and Kostas Gerampinis. The cast includes Danai Michalaki (“Wild Bees”), starring as Hypatia, a London-based doctor coming back to her hometown, where she meets Harry, played by Dimitris Mothonaios (“A Day in the Life of a Teddy Bear”).

Since launching on Ert in early September,...

Beta at MipTV has unveiled a visually dazzling first trailer for period drama “La Storia” that will be Italian pubcaster Rai’s biggest event show this year.

The sweeping eight-episode saga is based on a globally bestselling novel by the late great Elsa Morante – whom “My Brilliant Friend” author Elena Ferrante often cites as her primary literary reference – set during the final years of World War II and its immediate aftermath in Italy.

Dierected by Francesca Archibugi (“The Hummingbird”), the high-end show stars Italian A-list actor Jasmine Trinca – who last year was a member of the Cannes jury – as Ida, a single mother of two sons, who hides her Jewish heritage and fights against poverty and persecution. The cast also comprises Asia Argento (“xXx – Triple X”), Elio Germano (“Leopardi”) and Valerio Mastandrea (“Perfect Strangers”).

Set mostly in Rome between 1940 and 1948 “La Storia” looks at fascism, World War II and Italy...

Frank Doelger’s The Swarm has sold to the UK and Spain, while a U.S. partner is in the final stages of talks.

As Mip TV kicks off, the German eco-thriller, which already has around a dozen partners, has sold to Sky in the UK and Movistar Plus+ in Spain.

Distributors Beta Film and Zdf Studios are shopping in Cannes and the show played out of competition at the Berlinale Series Market, where its modern themes and bevvy of buyers dominated conversation.

Having scored “phenomenal ratings,” according to Beta, for Germany’s Zdf and Austria’s Orf, the show from Game of Thrones EP Doelger chronicles the struggle of humankind against an unknown enemy that lives in the depths of the sea. When the reckless treatment of the oceans threatens the natural habitat of this mysterious collective, it strikes back.

The Swarm, which is being referred to as one...

Season 6 of Canadian cop show “Hudson & Rex,” one of the world’s most successful television brands, has been given the greenlight. The new season has been added to the sales slate of Beta Film at next week’s MipTV television conference and market in Cannes.

The canine star of the police procedural, German Shepherd Diesel, who plays Rex, will walk the pink carpet on Sunday at TV series festival Canneseries, which runs in parallel with MipTV. He will be joined by John Reardon, who plays detective Charlie Hudson. The crime fighting duo are presenting the French premiere of the first episode of Season 4, followed by a Q&a with the talent.

“Hudson & Rex,” which is produced by Shaftesbury and Pope Productions for Citytv, was first unleashed in Austria in the 1990s under the title “Rex, the Cop’s Best Friend.” It is one of Beta’s most successful series,...

Beta Film has come on board to co-produce eight-part Italian period drama series “La Storia,” based on Elsa Morante’s bestselling novel, continuing its successful partnership with Picomedia. Shooting for the production has started in Rome under the helm of director Francesca Archibugi (“Romanzo famigliare”), before moving to Naples and Lazio later in the year. Beta handles world sales.

The cast is led by Jasmine Trinca (“The Gunman”), starring as Ida, a single mother of two sons, who hides her Jewish heritage and fights against poverty and persecution during the end of World War II and post-war Rome. Also starring are Asia Argento (“xXx – Triple X”), Elio Germano (“Leopardi”) and Valerio Mastandrea (“Perfect Strangers”).

The series adapts one of the most critically acclaimed novels of the 20th century, published in two dozen languages. Morante is a landmark figure of feminist literature and the literary role model of Italian star author Elena Ferrante,...