Andrew Lincoln ITV Drama ‘Coldwater‘ Heading To Canada’s Crave
Andrew Lincoln-starring ITV drama Coldwater is heading to Canada via a deal struck between Bell Media and distributor ITV Studios. Bell has also taken Paris Lees adaptation What it Feels Like for a Girl and The Gathering as part of the deal for streamer crave and the CTV network. Also secured for Crave and CTV are the upcoming season of Love Island All Stars from ITV Studios and GroupM Motion Entertainment, plus new seasons of The Voice and Hell’s Kitchen. In Coldwater, Walking Dead star Lincoln returns to British screens as a repressed man who moves to a backwater Scottish village and strikes up a friendship with his next door neighbor Tommy (Ewen Bremner). Katie Buchanan, EVP Americas Global Partnerships at ITV Studios, said: “We’re thrilled to continue our greatly valued partnership with Bell Media, and can’t wait to see this standout mix of scripted and non-scripted titles become some of the most talked about shows on their platforms. From gripping, character-led dramas, including the highly talked about thriller Coldwater, which is set to air in over 40 countries, to returning entertainment juggernauts, like Love Island, The Voice and Hell’s Kitchen, this deal showcases some of the best of ITV Studios’ slate.”
Research Spotlights Growth Of Mini-Dramas
Mini-dramas are in vogue, according to research firm Ampere Analysis. Ampere found that one in 10 internet users had watched drama episodes lasting 10 minutes or less on social media. The firm’s annual global survey of more than 100,000 consumers showed micro-dramas and mini-dramas gaining traction on social media, with YouTube and TikTok the leading destinations while commissioners look to specialized apps like DramaBox and ReelShorts. YouTube was the most popular destination with 44% of those who had watched a mini-drama doing so on the platform, followed by TikTok on 38%. Unsurprisingly, the trend skews young, with viewers aged 18 to 34 being 21% more likely to watch a mini-drama. In terms of genre, romance, anime and fantasy were the biggest draws. The mini-drama trend started out predominantly in Asia but has expanded globally of late, and was a big discussion point at the recent MIPCOM Cannes as commissioners and sellers look to take advantage. “Shorter scripted drama platforms are capitalising on the increasing use of vertical videos customised for phone viewing, particularly among younger audiences,” said Minal Modha, Research Director and Head of Sports Media, Sponsorship and Consumer Research at Ampere. “Commissioners of mini- and micro-dramas can use social platforms in two main ways: first, show all episodes on services like YouTube and generate advertising revenue, or second, tease the content on TikTok or Instagram, before enticing audiences onto subscription apps such as DramaBox.”
Italian Producer Boards Aneek Chaudhuri’s Patriarchy Doc
EXCLUSIVE: Aneek Chaudhuri’s upcoming feature doc, The Place Once Known as Earth and We, Homo Sapiens has welcomed an Italian co-production partner. Paola Pagliuca’s production house, Denkbuild, is teaming with India-based Chaudhuri’s Mono Studios Entertainment on the doc, which explores patriarchy, feminism, workplace safety, rape culture and the psychological conditioning of child upbringing in India. Chaudhuri is the director and producer, with Pagliuca now also attached. “Having Paola and Denkbuild onboard strengthens our mission to open up conversations that are both local and global,” said Chaudhuri. “It’s a union of perspectives — Eastern and Western — meeting at the same emotional wavelength.” Pagliuca added she expected the film to contribute meaningfully to international discourse.” As Deadline recently reported, Adler & Associates recently acquired rights to The Place Once Known as Earth and We, Homo Sapiens.
Random Media Lands ‘Addiction Of Hope’
EXCLUSIVE: Eric Doctorow’s Random Media has acquired The Addiction of Hope, a drama pic starring Anne-Marie Johnson (In The Heat of the Night), Harley Jane Kozak (Parent) and Erika Alexander (Living Single) among others. Written by Martin A. Gottlieb, it follows an aging African American actress living off her past success who is forced to examine her choices in life and the importance of family when her sister becomes sick. Susan Ruttan (A Man on the Inside), Clancy Brown(The Penguin), Matthew Moy (2 Broke Girls), Shari Belafonte (The Morning Show), and Alan Rosenberg (Shameless) also star. Random has picked up the Doilyboy Productions ahead of a limited theatrical release in the U.S. starting on November 11. Producers are Gottlieb, lead actress Johnson and David Marroquin, with Doctorow negotiating the deal with Sebastian Twardosz from Savant Artists negotiated on behalf of the filmmakers. “The Addiction of Hope is a powerful, female character-driven story that embodies the best of independent filmmaking,” said Doctorow.
Canadian Training Program Greenlight Albert Launches
EXCLUSIVE: Canada’s Edmonton Screen and industry skills organization Stage 32 have teamed on a training and certification program aimed at upskilling Alberta’s below-the-line workforce. Greenlight Alberta, which its creators say is the first of its kind in Canada, will see local professionals trained in key production roles, as an answer to the growing demand for skilled crew across the country. The year-long program will begin next month with three cohorts of 60 production assistants, production coordinators and assistant directors, who’ll receive hands-on training through Stage32s Master Certification courses, which are led by the likes of Sylwia Dudzinska (Nobody Wants This), Jerram Swartz (The Walking Dead) and Gary Romolo Fiorelli (Castle Rock). Next year, the program will expand to include production accountants, script supervisors, location managers and production managers. “By combining our industry-leading certification programs with Edmonton Screen’s commitment to fostering local talent, we’re creating a pipeline of skilled professionals ready to contribute to world-class productions while showcasing Edmonton as a premier filming destination,” said Richard Botto, CEO of Stage 32
Wildling Pictures Set Body Horror ‘Devour’ From Erica Orofino
Erica Orofino (Dirty Bad Wrong) will direct the female body horror Devour for Wildling Pictures. The film will be produced by Matt Code’s Wildling Pictures alongside co-producers Alison Almeida (Priscilla, Alice, Darling) and Lucy McNulty (Chicken, Hunting Matthew Nichols). Devour is co-written by Olivia Loccisano (First Blood, Pocket Princess, Body and Blood). Former Head of International Acquisitions at XYZ, Todd Brown, is an executive producer on the project. The film’s synopsis reads: Devour is a genre-bending collision of body horror and erotic thriller, following Luisa, a former Olympic figure skater whose fall from grace leaves her grasping for control. Plagued by compulsions she can no longer contain, Luisa becomes dangerously fixated on Karla, her daughter’s 18-year-old friend. What begins as a forbidden attraction soon turns into an overpowering obsession, as Luisa’s urges migrate from self-destruction to consuming another, unraveling her life in increasingly terrifying and transgressive ways.
