News

The rings of the Olympic Games on display in London.

Comcast’s NBC Universal will launch two spillover channels that will offer extra coverage of certain events from the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

The two pop-up channels — called Paris Extra 1 and Paris Extra 2 — will be made available through Comcast’s own Xfinity TV as well as partner pay TV distributors like Dish Network, Sling TV, Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV via Satellite, DirecTV via Internet, DirecTV Stream and some regional cable operators who are members of the National Content & Technology Cooperative (Nctc).

Paris Extra 1 will offer team sports, including basketball, handball, water polo and field sports, while Paris Extra 2 will unlock access to combat and racket-based sports like judo, taekwondo, badminton, table tennis and more.

The channels are unlikely to offer events from Team USA, which will be heavily promoted across NBC’s broadcast channel and linear cable outlets like CNBC,...

Fubo customers will be able to watch more Olympics coverage on two new linear channels created especially for the games.

Fubo is continuing to enhance its profile as a sports-first streaming service. The platform has announced a new deal with NBCUniversal which will see the service offer expanded coverage of the Xxxiii Olympiad, which begins on Friday, July 26 in Paris. Fubo customers will be able to stream all Olympic coverage from NBCU linear channels including NBC, USA Network, E!, CNBC, Golf Channel, and Spanish-language channels such as Telemundo, and will also get access to around-the-clock channels with even more coverage.

Key Details Fubo will get two new “Paris Extra” channels to offer even more live event coverage. Viewers can sign into NBC apps with TV Everywhere credentials for on-the-go coverage. The deal will not provide Fubo customers with access to Peacock, which will have the most extensive Olympics coverage of all.

Basketball is one of the biggest events in all of the Summer Olympics‘ roster because it’s always a nail-biter right to the end. Which country’s teams will emerge from the court victorious? We’ll find out soon, and to help you avoid jumping through a bunch of hoops to find out how to watch every single match as soon as it airs, here’s a comprehensive breakdown of every basketball event on the 2024 Paris Olympics schedule. (All times Eastern. An asterisk indicates a repeat airing.) Saturday, July 27 4 a.m. – Basketball, Handball & More (Paris Extra 1) 5 a.m. – Men’s Group A: Australia vs. Tbd (Digital) 5:30 a.m. – Men’s Group A: Australia vs. Tbd (CNBC)* 7:30 a.m. – Men’s Group B: Germany vs. Japan (Digital) 11:15 a.m. – Men’s Group B: France vs. Tbd (CNBC) 3 p.m. – Men’s Group A: Tbd vs. Canada (Digital) 3:15 p.

Mumbai, May 15 (Ians) Highly experienced sports presenter, Charu Sharma, says the first season of the Premier Handball League (Phl) is expected to be highly successful as handball is a very athletic sport.

The inaugural edition of the league is only a month away now and will be played from June 8 to June 25 in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Sharma, who has played pivotal roles in various private leagues in India in varying capacities and even was the auctioneer for the Premier Handball League auction, on Monday talked about looking ahead at the Phl with delight.

“I’m really excited about the fact that it is a new league and it is getting a new opportunity in our part of the world to move ahead. Handball is an Olympic sport, it’s a very popular sport in many parts of the world and so too in India, but it just hasn’t had the...

Jaipur, May 12 (Ians) The first edition of the Premier Handball League is set to be held in Jaipur, Rajasthan at the Sawai Mansingh Indoor Stadium from June 8 to 25. The high-octane league will see the 6 teams-Rajasthan Patriots, Garvit Gujarat, Maharashtra Ironmen, Golden Eagles Uttar Pradesh, Telugu Talons and Delhi Panzers will compete against each other at the indoor facility.

The stadium has also hosted multiple Pro Kabaddi League matches since 2014 as it is the home of Jaipur Pink Panthers. The venue is owned and managed by the Rajasthan State Sports Council.

“I am glad that the first season of the Premier Handball League will be held at the modern and unique Sawai Mansingh Indoor Stadium in Jaipur. We were committed to organising a grand sporting event in the state and this was the perfect opportunity to do so. We are sure the Premier Handball League will provide the handball players participating...

New Delhi, April 27 (Ians) While setting up an Ad-hoc Committee to take over the functioning of the Wrestling Federation of India (Wfi) with immediate effect, the Executive Council of the Indian Olympic Association (Ioa) has expressed concern about lapses in governance in Handball and Taekwondo associations.

The Ioa will act firmly in case of both associations if needed, the Ioa informed in a statement after an emergency meeting of the Ioa Executive Council, chaired by Ioa president Pt Usha, in New Delhi on Thursday.

“The Executive Council have also noticed and expressed concern on the governing lapses in Handball and Taekwondo association. Ioa will act firmly to take decisions to avoid malpractice by any individual and to ensure the development of sports and sportspersons,” the Ioa said in its statement.

The Ioa Executive Council also discussed the suggestions for changes in the Ioa Constitution to be made to the Supreme...

Mumbai, April 22 (Ians) Just days after Golden Eagles Uttar Pradesh and Garvit Gujarat were announced as a part of the Premier Handball League (Phl), two more teams – Delhi Panzers and Telugu Talons have joined Phl adding to the pan India appeal of the inaugural edition of the league.

The team from Hyderabad is owned by Abhishek Reddy Kankanala. Abhishek is a sports entrepreneur and is known for his involvement in various sports, including volleyball (Hyderabad Black Hawks), badminton, golf, and other league teams. The team will represent the Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Abhishek believes that handball has a similar opportunity within the Premier Handball League to give many potential athletes a chance to shine and possibly bring more attention to this Olympic sport.

Speaking about his association with the Premier Handball League, Abhishek Reddy Kankanala, said, “I am thrilled to venture into the world of handball and support these incredible athletes.

Mumbai, April 19 (Ians) With less than two months until the season opener of the inaugural Premier Handball League (Phl), sanctioned by the South Asian Handball Federation and affiliated with the Asian Handball Federation (Ahf), two new teams have become part of the Phl journey.

After Maharashtra Ironmen, Phl has announced that Golden Eagles Uttar Pradesh and Garvit Gujarat have become the second and third franchisees of the inaugural edition of the league, respectively.

The team from Uttar Pradesh will be owned by the Pavna Group of Industries from Aligarh, headed by Swapnil Jain, who serves as the Managing Director of the entity. Jain has a keen interest in the fields of education, sports, industry, and social work and has been actively working towards contributing to society in various manners. Prior to Golden Eagles, Jain’s prominent investment in sports came in the form of Ascus Cricket, which manufactures cricket bats and associated accessories.

The Transilvania International Film Festival’s (Tiff) main prize went this year to Spanish film-maker Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s Stockholm as the week-long festival came to a close on June 8.

The second feature also picked up the Best Performance Award for leads Javier Pereira and Aura Garrido at the gala awards ceremony on Saturday evening (7).

Almost lost for words as he accepted the prize on the stage of Cluj’s National Theatre, an elated Sorogoyen (pictured) said that these were the film’s first international awards.

Stockholm previously earned best actress and new screenwriter honours in Malaga last year and a Goya this year for Pereira.

Tiff’s international jury including Chicago Film Festival director Michael Kutza, Nfts director Nik Powell and Hungarian film-maker Janos Szasz, presented their Best Directing Award to Poland’s Tomasz Wasilewski for his second feature Floating Skyscrapers and the Special Jury Award to Bulgaria’s Maya Vitkova for her debut Viktoria, which had its...

Actor prizes go to Dame Judi Dench and Jesse Eisenberg; Enough Said, starring the late James Gandolfini, wins audience award.Scroll down for full list of winners

The 7th Abu Dhabi Film Festival handed out its Black Pearl awards at a closing ceremony tonight (Oct 31), including cash prizes amounting to around $700,000.

The Black Pearl for Narrative Feature, worth $100,000, went to A Touch of Sin (Tian zhu ding) directed by Jia Zhangke.

The film, which played in competition at Cannes where it won the best screenplay award, revolves around four threads set in vastly different geographical and social milieus across modern-day China and features random acts of violence.

The Narrative jury, presided over by two-time Oscar nominated actress Jacki Weaver, gave the special jury award ($50,000) to Hiner Saleem’s My Sweet Pepper Land, centred on a law man in a small town on the border of Iran, Iraq and Turkey.

In addition, Dame Judi Dench won best...

Actor prizes go to Dame Judi Dench and Jesse Eisenberg; Enough Said, starring the late James Gandolfini, wins audience award.

The 7th Abu Dhabi Film Festival handed out its Black Pearl awards at a closing ceremony tonight (Oct 31), including cash prizes amounting to around $700,000.

The Black Pearl for Narrative Feature, worth $100,000, went to A Touch of Sin (Tian zhu ding) directed by Jia Zhangke.

The film, which played in competition at Cannes where it won the best screenplay award, revolves around four threads set in vastly different geographical and social milieus across modern-day China and features random acts of violence.

The Narrative jury, presided over by two-time Oscar nominated actress Jacki Weaver, gave the special jury award ($50,000) to Hiner Saleem’s My Sweet Pepper Land, centred on a law man in a small town on the border of Iran, Iraq and Turkey.

In addition, Dame Judi Dench won best actress for her performance in Stephen Frears’ [link...

Last year Uberto Pasolini, producer of The Full Monty, directed Machan, a dramatisation of the true story of two young Sri Lankans who can't get visas to Germany and discover that a worldwide invitation has been extended to an international handball tournament in Bavaria. So they invent a national handball team, go to Europe and find victory in defeat. This quirkily engaging documentary tells the equally unlikely real-life sporting tale of how some young Afghan lads pick up cricket while refugees in Pakistan, and under their dedicated coach, Taj Malik Alam, make their way through World Cup qualifying rounds in the Channel Islands, Argentina and South Africa, and eventually get into a Twenty20 competition in St Lucia. Their opponents include Nepal, Tanzania, and Canada, and they've never played on grass before they get to Jersey, where they dislike the food and find the sea much inferior to Afghan rivers. Along...

It's no coincidence this waggy-tailed underdog yarn from Sri Lanka puts you in mind of The Full Monty: it's the directorial debut of that film's producer, Uberto Pasolini. And not only does it share the skeleton of a plot with the Sheffield strippers - in this case a motley crew of poverty-stricken pals form a handball team hoping it will prove their ticket to Europe (the championships are in Germany) - but it also has the same curious tonal mix: chirpy with a squeeze of suicidal. Machan comes dripping with plaudits from its world tour of film festivals, and is buoyed up on hype. But it's not a disappointment: this is Slumdog sans songs, but with real soul. It's funny, too.

ComedyWorld cinemaCatherine Shoard

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds...

There is more ingenuity, guts and brilliance in the developing world as depicted in Uberto Pasolini's film than anything Hollywood can cobble together

Tomorrow sees the release of Machan, one of the most important films to come out of the developing world in recent years – and the best film about illegal immigration I've ever seen.

It's a topic that's been addressed by prominent western directors in recent times, with mixed results. In 2002, Michael Winterbottom's docudrama, In This World, concentrated on the dangerous journey of Afghan immigrants to London, portraying the exploitation and hardship they face without revealing their individuality and motivations.

That same year also saw the release of Dirty Pretty Things, Stephen Frears's earnest white liberal's attempt to unveil London's murky underbelly, depicting it as a melting pot of the marginalised and dispossessed. But it was driven by an implausible plot about illegal organ transplants in...

Anthony Fabian's "Skin," starring Sophie Okonedo, Sam Neill and Alice Krige, and Uberto Pasolini's "Machan" tied for the best feature film award at the 14th annual Palm Beach International Film Festival, which handed out its awards on Monday.

The five-day fest presented its award for best feature film director to Charles Martin Smith for "The Stone of Destiny."

Andres Faucher's "The Legacy" was named best documentary feature.

The award for best short film went to "Gone Fishing," directed by Chris Jones.

Audience choice awards were voted to David Lisle Johnson's "In My Pocket" as best feature and Dori Berinstein's "Gotta Dance" as best documentary.

The audience award for best short film resulted in another tie, going to Meredith Scott Lynn's "Parental Guidance" and Deb Hiett and Richard Kuhlman's "A Bit of Counseling."

 

The Voices of Local Films honors were awarded to "The Outlaw...

This is a small sample of what FilmFinders' clients and contributors receive now and will soon be receiving both before and after the major international film markets in Berlin, Cannes, AFM, Sundance and the major fall festivals of Venice, Toronto, Pusan, Locarno and other upcoming markets and festivals.

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AFM 2008, Santa Monica California RIGHTS ROUNDUP

6 SALES licensed 'The Narrows' to Koba for France and Movie Bank for Benelux after its premiere showing in Toronto. 'Wave' went to ARD Degeto for free TV in Germany and Kino Swiat for Poland.

ARTHOUSE FILMS licensed 'The Universe of Keith Haring' to Pretty Pictures for France and Germany. ARTHOUSE FILMS acquired international sales rights to 'Chuck Close'. Arthouse plans a theatrical release early 2009. Arthouse Films acquired 'Herb & Dorothy' which recently won best documentary and the audience award at the Hamptons International Film Festival for North American and world rights.

ASPECT licensed 'The Utopian Society' to Scanbox for Scandinavia, Globcom for Romania, and Front Row for the Middle East. 'Familiar Strangers', 'Drawn, In Memory of My Father', and 'The Clan' were licensed to Front Row for the Middle East. 'The Peter Green Story: Man of the World' was licensed to Scanbox for U.K., Ireland and Scandinavian distribution.

ATRIX FILMS licensed 'Buy, Borrow, Steal' to Anchor Bay for Austrialia/New Zealand. First Look Studios will release in North America.

ATLAS INTERNATIONAL FILMS licensed '(Cheeky Girls' 'Freche Madchen') to Swift for France, and Film Depot for CIS.

BAC FILMS licensed 'Silent Wedding' to Vendetta Films for New Zealand, Syrena Entertainment Group for Poland, and IMO Vision for Brazil. They are also in advanced discussions for Italy, Spain and Bosnia. Their film 'Jasper' to Daisy for Korea and Eagle Films for India. 'Back Soon' was licensed to Ripley for Italy, and MCF MegaCom for Bosnia. 'Melody Smile' was licensed to Nueva Era for Mexico. Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia also picked up rights to 'Jasper', 'Lascars' and 'Journey to Saturn'.

BANKSIDE FILMS licensed 'The Baker' to Panorama Entertainment for U.S. for a spring 2009 theatrical release.

BAVARIA licensed 'Moscow, Belgium' to NeoClassics for North America.

BETA CINEMA licensed 'La Boheme', Robert Dornhelm's film version of the Puccini opera to Wild Bunch Benelux,' to Axiom for UK and Star Sands for Japan, Palace for Australia and New Zealand and Hollywood Classics for Czech Republic and Slovakia. It is currently in release in Germany and Austria through NFP/Warner and Constantin Film, respectively. 'Il Divo' went to MPI Media Group for U.S., Delphi Films for Germany, Folkets Bio for Sweden, Sunrise Film for Denmark, Against Gravity and HBO Poland (Pay TV) for Poland, David Matous Communications for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and Best Hollywood for Hungary. 'North Face' went to Lady Film for Italy, and Mars Productions for Turkey. 'Machan' has been sold to UGC for France, Alliance Atlantis for Canada, and Rialto Film for Switzerland. 'Berlin Calling' was sold to Best Hollywood for Hungary, and David Matous Communications for the Czech Republic and Slovakia. 'Run for Your Life' was licensed to Best Hollywood for Hungary, and Pa-Dora for Croatia/Bosnia/Serbia. BETA CINEMA acquired international sales rights to 'Ayla' a feature debut of Su Turhan. BETA CINEMA acquired international sales rights to 'Bride Flight'. The Dutch film which made over $1.5 million in its first two weeks of release.

CELLULOID DREAMS licensed 'A Year Ago in Winter', 'When a Man Comes Home', 'Still Walking', 'White Night Wedding', to IFC Festival Direct. Plans are to release through the Festival Direct VOD service as well as theatrical release via upcoming festivals.

CELSIUS licensed 'Crusade: A March Through Time' to Focus Cultural Media Co. for distribution in China.

CINEMA MANAGEMENT GROUP licensed 'Zambezia' to Televisa for Mexico, RCV for Benelux, VC Multimedia for Portugal, Vision Film for Poland, Film Pop for Turkey, and Front Row Entertainment for the Middle East.

CINEMAVAULT acquired international sales rights to 'The Hammer'. CINEMAVAULT licensed 'IOUSA' to MercuryMedia for U.K. television for BBC's current affairs strand This World for IOUSA. It will be released theatrically in the UK from November 14 in Picturehouse Cinemas as part of the joiningthedots.tv programme backed by The Independent newspaper and Sheffield Doc/Fest. MercuryMedia's slate also includes 'Sea Point Days', 'Dominick Dunne: After The Party', 'How Ohio Pulled It Off' and 'Loose Change Final Cut'.

CJ ENTERTAINMENT licensed 'Mother' to Bitters End for Japan and to Diaphana for France. 'Thirst' went to Palisades Tartan U.K. for U.K. and to Diaphana for France. Diaphana will release 'Mother' and 'Thirst' in spring 2009. 'Hello Schoolgirl' 'Lost and Found' and 'A Portrait of Beauty' were licensed to Rose Media for Thailand. 'Four Horror Tales', 'Wide Awake', and 'Black Cows' were licensed to Catchplay for Taiwan. Also 'Public Enemy Returns' was licensed for Turkey.

This is a partial compendium from the major trade magazines of rights acquired from international sales agents and other sales representatives during the recent American Film Market. The complete Rights Roundup Report was just issued to our clients and contributors this week.

If you are interested in this subscription service, please email us at FilmFinders-Sales@imdb.com. If you would like to contribute to the buzz with your own items, please send it to buzz@imbd.com.

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London -- British producers on Monday were told to stop looking toward Hollywood for production opportunities and start looking closer to home -- Germany, for instance.

Speaking at a financing panel at the London-based Festival of German Films, filmmaker Jens Meurer ("Black Book") said he had a "bee in his bonnet" when it came to U.K. producers' ignorance of the opportunities available in Europe and, specifically, Germany.

"Stop looking to Hollywood, because you'll just end up being poodles," Meurer told the audience at London's Curzon Soho theater. "We (Europeans) have to stick together in this."

The large panel also noted that Hollywood, unlike the Brits, has been very adept at using tax incentives to locate productions in Europe over the last two or three years.

British producer Chris Curling, who is co-producing Michael Hoffman's Russia-set "The Last Station," starring Helen Mirren and James McAvoy, noted studio smarts when it came to financing.

Venue: Venice Film Festival

Venice -- In 2004 of a 23-member Sri Lankan handball team suddenly showed up in Bavaria. The team had fooled the German Embassy in Colombo, got itself an invite for a tournament, then boarded the plane with the sole idea of never returning home. When the bluff became apparent, with even the audiences wondering why a national team did not have a clue of the game's rules, the entire team vanished, probably into Italy. Not one of them has been traced.

Director Uberto Pasolini, a producer on "The Full Monty," uses this incident to dramatize what he feels is a flawed immigration policy in the West. He -- and his film -- argues there must be a free movement of human capital as there is of financial capital. He collaboarted with renowned Sri Lankan playwright Ruwanthie de Chickera to script the story of the 23 men, who had...

Complete Venice Film Festival coverage

Venice -- As the Venice Film Festival reached its halfway point, critics were, for once, unanimous: The lineup has been underwhelming.

After the Coen brothers' "Burn After Reading" opened the festival to loud applause from the public and grumbling from critics, a mood of lethargy set in on the event. The fest has not yet pulled a masterpiece out of its hat, except the Japanese animated feature "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea," Hayao Miyazaki's magical retelling of "The Little Mermaid." Nothing else in competition has emerged an obvious winner.

True, the performances of Kim Basinger and Charlize Theron impressed critics in Guillermo Arriaga's "The Burning Plain," and Marco Bechis' "Birdwatchers," set amid a tribe of Amazon natives, was received politely. The pair of all-Italian films that have unspooled, Ferzan Ozpetek's "A Perfect Day" and Pupi Avati's "Giovanna's Father,...

A host of both Asian and Spanish-language films have been announced as part of the Toronto International Film Festival 08 lineup and they are scattered over all different parts of the program. Anime fans will be glad to hear Mamoru Oshii's The Sky Crawlers will be having it's North American premier in the Visions section. Plastic City, the joint Brazilian/China effort about the mafia and salvation will also be getting it's North American prem. One of the most interesting sounding film's on the list is Albert Serra's Birdsong (El Cant dels ocells) which is a reinterpretation of the biblical journey of the three wisemen and their search for the Messiah. It's shot with only natural lighting. Check out the whole list following!ww

Asian lineup

Kanchivaram Priyadarshan, India

World Premiere

Vengadam is a born optimist and weaver of saris, but his lowly status means he can never afford the fashions he creates.