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February 20, 2026
Mel Gibson Consulting With Excommunicated Archbishop — Who Once Called Pope Francis ‘A Servant of Satan’— for ‘Resurrection of the Christ’
Mel Gibson is consulting with excommunicated Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò — who has called the late Pope Francis “a servant of Satan” — for the “The Resurrection of the Christ,” his follow up to 2...
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February 19, 2026
Olympics Blunder Prompts Italian Broadcaster RAI Sports Chief to Resign After Misidentifying Matilda De Angelis as Mariah Carey in Opening Ceremony
Paolo Petrecca, head of the sports unit of Italian state broadcaster RAI, stepped down on Thursday following backlash triggered by a series of live blunders he made while commenting the Milan-Corti...
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February 19, 2026
Could EU Regulators Favor Paramount Over Netflix in Battle for Warner Bros. Discovery?
David Ellison’s heated battle with Netflix for ownership of Warner Bros. Discovery could wind up playing out prominently in Brussels, where regulatory officials are expected to formally open an ant...
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February 18, 2026
Digital Content Pioneer Mario Niccolò Messina on Distributing a $10,000 Spaghetti Western to Millions of Viewers via Streaming: ‘I’d Like to Be the Roger Corman of the Third Millennium’
Digital distribution and production pioneer Mario Niccolò Messina set up shop in Los Angeles four years ago, after launching an innovative micro budget movies business model in his native Italy. He...
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February 17, 2026
Oscar-Winning ‘No Other Land’ Co-Director Hamdan Ballal Denounces New Attack by Israeli Settlers, Says Brother Hospitalized, Family Members Arrested
Hamdan Ballal, co-director of Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land” has sounded an alarm saying his family has been attacked again by the same Israeli settlers who targeted him shortly after hi...
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February 16, 2026
DR Sales Boards Drama ‘The Best of Families’ Created by Maja Jul Larsen and Produced by ‘The Killing’s Piv Bernth (EXCLUSIVE)
DR Sales, the international sales arm of Danish pubcaster DR, has boarded TV drama “The Best of Families” created by Maja Jul Larsen (“Cry Wolf “) and produced by Piv Bernth (“The Killing”). The si...
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February 16, 2026
Branded Entertainment Executives Anthony Damianakis, Pete Fergusson Launch Dubai-Based Startup IPX to Connect Brands With Content (EXCLUSIVE)
Branded entertainment executives Anthony Damianakis and Pete Fergusson are launching an ambitious startup called IPX headquartered in Dubai, with offices also in London and Sydney. The innovative s...
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February 15, 2026
Emin Alper on Berlin Drama ‘Salvation’ Which References the Dynamics of Contemporary ‘Mass Murders, Massacres, Genocides, and Wars’
Turkish writer/director Emin Alper – who was at the Berlinale in 2019 with “A Tale of Three Sisters,” followed by his incendiary 2022 Cannes entry “Burning Days” – is back in Berlin with timely dra...
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February 15, 2026
Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, Alice Diop and More Set for Doha Film Institute Qumra Masters Lineup
The Doha Film Institute has recruited Mexican multi-hyphenates Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna, Venice prizewinner Alice Diop, Moroccan auteur Faouzi Bensaïdi, and Oscar-winning composer and prod...
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February 15, 2026
Turkish Cinema’s Milestone Berlin Presence Bodes Well for Global Breakthrough Going Forward
Turkish cinema, despite being held back by economic and political constraints, looks poised for a global breakthrough this year. Its milestone Berlin 2026 contingent — comprising three feature film...
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February 14, 2026
Mahnaz Mohammadi on Depicting Iran’s Evin Prison in Berlin Film ‘Roya’: ‘You Have to Tell the Story Through the Displacement, Silence and Rupture’
Dissident Iranian filmmaker Mahnaz Mohammadi — known internationally for works such as “Women Without Shadows,” “Travelogue” and “Son-Mother” — is at the Berlinale with “Roya,” about a woman who, ...
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February 13, 2026
Nexo Digital Launches Sales at EFM on Doc About First Millennial Saint Carlo Acutis, Dubbed ‘God’s Influencer’
Italy’s Nexo Digital, which produces and distributes theatrical event content for the global market, is launching sales at Berlin’s European Film Market on high profile doc “Carlo Acutis – The Mill...
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February 13, 2026
Prime Video Drops Italian Original Film ‘Love Me Love Me’ Based on Wattpad Book That ‘Garnered 24 Million Reads,’ Producers Discuss YA Romance Trend (EXCLUSIVE)
Prime Video on Friday released its first English-language Italian original “Love Me Love Me, based on the first novel from a four-book series by Italian writer Stefania S, which has scored 24 milli...
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February 13, 2026
‘Yellow Letters’ Director İlker Çatak on Political Repression of Artists: ‘You Have It in the U.S. Too. Look at What Happened to Jimmy Kimmel!’
İlker Çatak, who was born in Berlin to Turkish parents, is back at the Berlinale with “Yellow Letters,” which unlike his last film — the Oscar-nominated Germany-set “The Teachers’ Lounge” — takes p...
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February 13, 2026
Prada Foundation Unveils First Supported Films Including New Works From Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Corneliu Porumboiu, Tatiana Huenzo
New works from name auteurs including “Tropical Malady” helmer Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Romania’s Corneliu Porumboiu, and Mexico’s Tatiana Huenzo are among the 14-title first batch of features se...
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February 13, 2026
Oscilloscope Buys Italian Director Virgilio Villoresi’s Venice Drama ‘Orfeo’ From True Colours at EFM (EXCLUSIVE)
Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired U.S. rights to Italian director Virgilio Villoresi’s directorial debut, “Orfeo,” a dreamlike drama that premiered out of competition at the 2025 Venice Film F...
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February 13, 2026
Minerva Boards ‘The Well’ Helmer Federico Zampaglione’s New Horror Film ‘The Nameless Ballad’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Italy’s Minerva Pictures has boarded Italian filmmaker and pop star Federico Zampaglione’s new horror feature “The Nameless Ballad,” his follow-up to “The Well,” which sold in over 40 countries and...
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February 12, 2026
Berlin Age-Gap Romance ‘Only Rebels Win’ Director on Working With ‘Succession’s’ Hiam Abbas and the Film’s Provocative Aspects: ‘I Throw a Bomb and See People React to It’
“Succession” star Hiam Abbas plays a role that is the polar opposite of Marcia Roy in French-Lebanese director Danielle Arbid’s age-gap drama “Only Rebels Win” that opens Berlin’s Panorama section....
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February 12, 2026
Berlin Opener ‘No Good Men’ Director Shahrbanoo Sadat’ on Making Afghanistan’s First Film Featuring an Onscreen Kiss (And a Vibrator)
Shahrbanoo Sadat’s “No Good Men,” which opens the Berlin Film Festival, mixes romance, politics and humor in ways that Afghan cinema has never done before. It’s the tale of a camerawoman at a Kabul...
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February 12, 2026
Filmoption Boards ‘The Struggle for Mother Water’ Docuseries at Berlinale Market Selects Directed by Michael Zelniker: ‘Water Is Life’
Montreal-based distributor and sales agent Filmoption has acquired world rights to Canadian filmmaker Michael Zelniker’s global water crisis documentary series “The Struggle for Mother Water,” whic...
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February 10, 2026
Brunello Cucinelli Docufilm ‘The Gracious Visionary’ Set for North American Release via Blue Fox Entertainment (EXCLUSIVE)
Oscar-winning director Giuseppe Tornatore’s docufilm “Brunello: The Gracious Visionary” — about Brunello Cucinelli, the fashion designer known as Italy’s “King of Cashmere” — has been acquired for ...
variety.com
February 10, 2026
Olympic Skier Hunter Hess Responds to Trump Slamming Him for Having ‘Mixed Feelings’ About Representing the U.S.: ‘There Are Always Things That Could Be Better’ About America
U.S. Olympic skier Hunter Hess has responded to President Donald Trump blasting him for saying he had “mixed feelings” about representing the U.S. at the winter games. The freestyle skier had said ...
variety.com
February 9, 2026
Gucci Family Series ‘Game Over’ Reveals Cast, Led by Miriam Leone, Matilda Lutz and Francesco Scianna
“Gucci: Game Over,” the upcoming high-end Sky series that’s described as Italy’s answer to Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci” film, has set its key cast. Miriam Leone (“The Lions of Sicily”) will pla...
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February 8, 2026
Lindsey Vonn Suffers Crash at Winter Olympics and Is Flown Away by Helicopter, Dashing Comeback Hopes
Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn suffered a bad crash in the women’s downhill race on Sunday at the Winter Olympics in Cortina where she was flown away by a helicopter, dashing her highly anticipated hop...
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February 6, 2026
‘White Lotus’ Star Sabrina Impacciatore Dazzles With Time-Traveling Musical Number at Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony
Sabrina Impacciatore, known to U.S. audiences for roles in “The White Lotus” and “The Paper,” performed a time-traveling musical number celebrating 100 years of Winter Olympics history featuring a ...
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February 6, 2026
Milan Cortina Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony: All the Biggest Moments From the Games’ Kickoff (Updating Live)
The Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics kicked off on Friday with an unprecedentedly widespread opening ceremony. Held in the two host cities and in several Alpine venues, the event is set to featur...
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February 6, 2026
Cher-Produced Slasher ‘Big Baby’ From Spider One Boarded by Motion Picture Exchange, Launching Sales at EFM (EXCLUSIVE)
Motion Picture Exchange (MPX) is launching worldwide sales at Berlin’s upcoming European Film Market on slasher film “Big Baby,” which is directed by Spider One and executive produced by Cher. Spid...
variety.com
February 5, 2026
WBD Southern Europe Chief on Milan Cortina Olympics Driving HBO Max in Europe, Where Games Overlap With ‘Heated Rivalry’ Launch: ‘The Best Premium Content We Can Offer’
The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics will have special significance for Warner Bros. Discovery. Not only is the entertainment conglomerate the games’ official broadcaster in Europe, but HBO Max is the...
variety.com
February 4, 2026
Turkish Production Company Behind AI-Generated Doc ‘Post Truth’ to Launch New AI Project ‘A Woman Asleep’ at EFM; Trailer Revealed (EXCLUSIVE)
Turkish AI production company Spongeworthy, the pioneering studio behind buzzy AI-generated doc “Post Truth,” has announced their second AI movie, titled “A Woman Asleep.” The company will be shopp...
variety.com
January 29, 2026
‘Gomorrah – The Origins’ Series Sells Widely, Including to HBO Max in Germany and Turkey
“Gomorrah – The Origins,” the new prequel show to gritty Neapolitan mob series “Gomorrah” – which is Italy’s biggest TV export – has scored a slew of sales. Following its launch on Sky in Italy ear...
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