Tag: Entertainment – Variety

The producers of the documentary series “Quiet on Set” have prevailed in a lawsuit brought by former Nickelodeon showrunner Dan Schneider, who claimed that the show implied that he was a child sex abuser.

Schneider sued for defamation in 2024, alleging that the series had falsely portrayed him as being responsible for or having facilitated sex abuse committed by others. He won the first round in court, as a judge found enough merit in the claims to deny the defendants’ motion to throw out the case.

But the defendants — Warner Bros. Discovery, Sony and producers Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz — filed an appeal, and on Thursday a three-judge panel ruled unanimously in their favor. The judges found that while the show does depict Schneider as a bad boss, it does not cross the line to a defamatory implication of child sex abuse.

“The documentary clearly distinguishes between the lamentable conduct that its participants attribute to Schneider — gender discrimination, harassment, toxic workplace behavior, and inappropriate sexual innuendo — and the child sexual abuse explicitly attributed to three named individuals, two of whom are discussed at length,” wrote Judge Melanie Ochoa, for the panel. “‘Quiet on Set’ also affirmatively states that Schneider’s employer investigated his conduct and, while it confirmed some inappropriate behavior, it found no evidence of child sexual abuse. Schneider’s attempt to find an alternative meaning than what is expressly stated in the documentary is unavailing.”

Schneider was responsible for creating a series of hit shows on Nickelodeon, including “The Amanda Show,” “Drake & Josh,” “Zoey 101,” “iCarly,” and “Victorious.” Amid allegations of abusive conduct, Nickelodeon cut ties with him in 2018.

The series, “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” ran on Investigation Discovery in March 2024. Schneider posted a video apology shortly afterward, saying he was “embarrassed” by his past behaviors.

In the lawsuit, Schneider’s attorneys argued that while the show did not come out and directly accuse Schneider of sex abuse, it did juxtapose accusations of “inappropriate behavior” with pictures of Schneider with his arm around child actresses.

The show also delved into the cases of Brian Peck, a dialogue coach who was arrested for child sex abuse, and Jason Michael Handy, a production assistant who was also accused of sending an explicit photo to a child actress.

Schneider argued that he had nothing to do with those cases, and that the series created a false impression by linking him to them.

But the panel ruled that it could not go along with that argument, given that “the only such abuse discussed is explicitly attributed to named perpetrators and the documentary expressly states that an investigation into Schneider found no evidence of abuse.”

The defendants prevailed under California’s anti-SLAPP statute, which allows an early mechanism to strike lawsuits intended to stifle speech on matters of public interest.

Gerry Silver, Schneider’s attorney, said in a statement he was disappointed in the result.

“We are disappointed by the Court’s decision to reverse the Superior Court’s well-reasoned anti-SLAPP ruling, and we are evaluating our options for further review and appeal,” Silver said. “However, we are pleased that the Court acknowledged that the makers of ‘Quiet on Set’ presented absolutely no evidence that Dan was sexually abusive towards any of his cast members and agreed that any such allegation is provably false.”

With enticing acquisition titles, rising talent and supercharged industry presence at the market, the Toronto Intl. Film Festival’s 2026 Indigenous lineup delivers the creative and collaborative screen projects that are increasingly attracting global partners, buyers and audiences.

“We’re seeing contemporary Indigenous cinema telling stories within broad historical or present-day contexts but without centering those aspects,” international programmer of U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand and global Indigenous cinema Jason Ryle tells Variety.

For “How We Stand,” Marie Clements adapts her stage play about separated sisters — played by Amber Midthunder (“Prey”), Alyssa Wapanatâhk (“Little House on the Prairie”) and Isabel DeRoy-Olson (“Dark Winds”) — navigating 1970s political and cultural changes in L.A.

“These are modern Indigenous young women trying to figure their way, just as we all do,” Clements says. “We learn who we are, and who we want to become, through living.”

Nyla Innuksuk’s “In the Heart of the South,” one of three Indigenous titles in TIFF section Platform, is a sharp turn from her sci-fi horror “Slash/Back.” Set in the uptight art world, the films stars “North of North” series lead Anna Lambe as an Inuk filmmaker and Zorga Qaunaq (also “North of North”) as the estranged friend who arrives uninvited and rattles her plans.

“It’s a sophisticated thriller that critiques arts institutions in Canada from the perspective of an Indigenous person,” says international programmer of Canadian features Kelly Boutsalis.

“Brace Your Heart,” Amanda Kernell’s Sápmi-set Platform feature, follows a young woman who inherits her late father’s reindeer herd and is pressured to accept a local leader’s courtship. “Most of the actors, including the leads, are reindeer herders,” says Ryle. “Amanda has a gift for drawing out performances from people with the smallest suggestions.”

Theja Rio’s “Angh” (Platform) centers on a Naga family in a Indo-Burma border village and what happens after the arrival of a Christian missionary. “As far as we can tell, this is the first feature from the Naga people, who are building their own screen culture, as is happening elsewhere in the world, with different means,” Ryle says. The film‘s DP is Adam Pietkiewicz, the recipient of the Variety Artisan Award at TIFF.

In his social satire “God Bless You, Mr. Kopu,” Alex Liu casts Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi (“Predator: Badlands”) as a Tongan man drifting from his family while working for an American traveling salesman.

The cultures of queer sex workers, hockey players and hip-hop artists are expressed, respectively, in Justin Ducharme’ s chamber drama “Seventeen,” actor-director Cody Lightning’s underdog dramedy “Smudge the Blades” and Alexandra Lazarowich’s doc feature debut “Turtle Island Rap.”

“My film explores why it’s hard to be a rapper or beat-maker, and why people still choose to become one,” Lazarowich tells Variety. “The artists are a snapshot of what’s happening in youth culture. The nuances of their Indigenous identity are reflected in the people listening to their music.”

Inspired by a true story, “In Alaska” follows Woody (newcomer Leo Matthew Temela), a depressed teen who is pursued as an eco-terrorist by an FBI agent (Noomi Rapace) after accidentally shooting a hole in an oil pipeline.

During an early stage, filmmaker Jaap van Heusden met Inuit actor-director Vinnie Karetak for script notes. They became co-writers and co-directors. “We had to be fearless to keep the heavy subject of suicide in the film and make sure it was never glorified,” Karetak says. “There is a deep sense of loss already from the previous generation that is handed down to human.

“When it came to Inuit characters, we collaborated. We talked about every scene, every character, every extra.”

Karetak, who acted in “North of North,” says people in the community where the show was flmed helped out on “In Alaska.”

“We cast Vinnie’s dog, his son and one of his close friends,” van Heusden recalls.

“And we used my ex’s snowmobile,” Karetak adds.

Below are the Indigenous directors and their world-premiering features, screening in various programs at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival.

“2.6 Seconds: Death in the Outback,” dir. Darren Dale, Australia, English / Warlpiri (Primetime)

“Angh,” dir. Theja Rio, India, Konyak (Platform)

“Brace Your Heart” (Garrat Du Váimmu), dir. Amanda Kernell, Sweden / Norway / Denmark / Iceland / Bulgaria, Northern Sami / Swedish (Platform)

“God Bless You, Mr Kopu,” dir. Alex Liu, New Zealand / Australia, English / Tongan (Centrepiece)

“How We Stand,” dir. Marie Clements, Canada, English (Centrepiece)

“In Alaska,” dirs. Jaap van Heusden and Vinnie Karetak, Netherlands / Canada, English / Inuktitut (Special Presentations)

“In the Heart of the South,” dir. Nyla Innuksuk, Canada (Platform)

“Seventeen,” dir. Justin Ducharme, Canada, English / Cree (Discovery)

“Smudge the Blades,” dir. Cody Lightning, English (Centrepiece)

“Turtle Island Rap,” dir. Alexandra Lazarowich, Canada, English / Diné (TIFF Docs)

Paris-based sales boutique Alpha Violet has acquired international sales rights to “Body of Glass,” German filmmaker Naëmi Ada’s feature debut, ahead of its world premiere in San Sebastián’s New Directors competition.

A Germany-France co-production from Soilfilms and Soldats Features, the psychological drama stars Soma Pysall (HBO Max’s “Para – We Are King,” Disney+’s “City of Blood”) as Tian, a young dancer trying to break free from a violent, controlling relationship.

After a violent incident with her partner and choreographer Felix, Tian flees their life in Marseille. Isolated and desperate for connection, she inserts herself into the grieving circle of a young man she never knew, becoming entangled in their mourning and affection while concealing a dangerous secret of her own.

The cast also includes Élise Tilloloy (“The Price of Money: A Largo Winch Adventure”), Tom Rey (“Becoming Karl Lagerfeld”), Manuel Severin (“The New Look”) and Younès Boucif (“Standing Up”).

Producers are Timothée Boullié, Victoria Braunholz, Ada, Silvana Santamaría, Pierre Cazenave-Kaufman, Amel Belghitri and Sinan Özarslan.

“We were immediately struck by a film that refuses to make its characters easy to categorise as victim or perpetrator,” said Alpha Violet co-founder Virginie Devesa. “Its exploration of taking back control of your body and your life is bold, provocative and pushed to an extreme.”

Devesa also highlighted the film’s physical dimension: “The body itself becomes a distinctive presence,” she said, adding that Alpha Violet believes “Body of Glass” will “spark a lot of conversation.”

Ada comes to the project from a background in contemporary dance. She trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds before studying directing at Berlin’s German Film and Television Academy. In 2019, she was selected as a Sundance Ignite Fellow by the Sundance Institute.

“Body of Glass” screens Sept. 19 in San Sebastián as part of New Directors.

The 74th San Sebastián Film Festival runs Sept. 18-26.

Writer-director Marie Clements, who premiered “Bones of Crows” in 2022, returns this weekend to the Toronto Film Festival for the world premiere of her latest feature, “How We Stand,” as her new three-part documentary series, “Reclaim My Skin,” waits in the wings for its premiere next month at the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Both projects reveal stories of Indigenous women and the power of their actions and voices to bring about necessary change in the world, their communities, and their own lives.

“There’s a moment when you’re in the room with matriarchs when everything stands still,” Clement recently told Variety, talking about the doc series for the first time.

“I had the honor to interview Gloria Steinem with Indigenous activists Louise Wakerakats:se Herne and Michelle Schenandoah together in New York last year—even at their most passionate they never spoke over each other,” she said. “They gave space and listened, acknowledging differences while also understanding that we have more in common than what works to divide us.”

“Reclaim My Skin” is produced by Marie Clements Media, Screen Siren Pictures and Rezolution Pictures. The series was commissioned by British Columbia’s Knowledge Network in 2024.

“How We Stand,” which Clements adapted from her 2011 stage play “Tombs of the Vanishing Indian,” reflects both harsh truths and positive currents of the eras in which it is set. It’s produced by Marie Clements Media and Screen Siren Pictures. Myriad Pictures is handling international sales. Photon Films is the Canadian distributor.

Three young Oklahoma sisters and their single mother (Cara Jade Myers, “Killer of the Flower Moon”) travel to L.A. in a 1950s relocation program for Native Americans that promises jobs in big cities. But they were sold a bill of goods. After finding community in the city’s cemented riverways, a tragedy separates the sisters, whose lives take different paths on the shifting cultural landscape of 1970s L.A.

“There’s a vibrancy to being alive at any time,” Clements said. “These are modern Indigenous young women who want to grab their futures. They are looking at the world and having a point of view that may or may not land, but are learning who they want to become.”

That vibrancy is enhanced by casting of stellar screen stars in the roles of the adult sisters. Amber Midthunder (“Prey,” “Novocaine”) is a doctor who starts a new job at her white husband’s clinic, Alyssa Wapanatâh (“Peter Pan & Wendy”) plays an outspoken activist who starts auditioning for Native American roles in Hollywood movies, while Isabel DeRoy-Olson (AMC’s “Dark Winds”) has the role of a young women adrift and in distress after a traumatic experience she’s trying to figure out.

“It was incredible to watch these actors lean in and embody these characters,” Clement says.

The stage play was originally commissioned by the Native Voices series at the Autry National Center in L.A. Clements spent time looking through the Autry’s collections in its museums. A colleague’s aunt, who had lived 30 years in the city, told her about the so-called tombs of the riverways where Indigenous people used to meet.

“It started me thinking about the underground – where we can go to be together? – as well as the underground policies that were happening at this time,” she continues.

The screen adaptation allowed Clement to more deeply explore the worlds suggested in her play. “Starting in Oklahoma with the Technicolor beauty of childhood and this young family and the feeling of possibility – what might happen to a family when they’re given a chance?

“But I was also interested in the systems that were happening at the time,” she continues. “We don’t always know that that our lives are being designed by something that we don’t have control of.”

While her new film is set in the past, present and future realities ran through the creation and production of “How We Stand.”

“I want things to change, I think we all want things to change,” Clement says. “And I found myself thinking about children who are being taken away from their families right now, because our families understand being separated and what that does to the core of a family for generations.

“Whether it’s residential school or immigration policies, it’s a profound act to take a member of someone’s family, especially children, away from mothers and fathers. And we’re witnessing that in our time right now.

“The fight in the ’70s was around women’s bodies and women’s rights. And that’s trying to be reversed as we speak, so it really does kind of hit you.

“Things can feel downtrodden but, you know, there are cool women out there who are still working for change, and that is not going to change.”

“How We Stand” has its world premiere at the Toronto International Festival on Sept. 13.

Vertical has acquired U.S. distribution rights to “Sanctuary,” an English-language, post-apocalyptic thriller starring “The Handmaid’s Tale’s” Nina Kiri.

According to the synopsis, “Sanctuary” is set on a post-apocalyptic Earth, where the discovery of a cryogenically suspended woman provokes fear in a desperate village, sending a young warrior and the mysterious woman on a quest for a lost city and answers that could restore humanity.

Directed by Filip Kovačević (“Incarnation”), the film is produced by Đorđe Stanković, Filip Kovačević and Vukota Antunović for Void Pictures and TS Media, the production arm of telecommunications giant Telekom Srbija. It stars Kiri alongside Dutch actor Jonas Smulders (“Luka,” “Paradise Drifters”) and Serbia’s Darko Perić (“Money Heist”). World sales are being handled by Sublimity, which has also secured several other international deals.

Kovačević, who previously directed the 2016 action thriller “Incarnation,” described “Sanctuary” as an attempt to give “a fresh take on dystopian sci-fi, with an original story that takes place in a distinct ‘semi-far future.’” 

“The time is near enough so the events that led to the collapse of civilization are still relevant, but far enough that they have been shrouded in mystery and myth,” the director said. “The intent was to make an entertaining genre film that explores the cyclical nature of history and the individual’s role inside it.”

Variety has been given access to an exclusive teaser for the film, which you can watch here:

Producer Đorđe Stanković, of Belgrade-based Void Pictures, said that the filmmakers “set out to make an ambitious science-fiction film from Serbia that could speak to an international audience without losing its own identity.” 

“Producing the film was an enormous undertaking, but also proof that genre cinema of this scale can come from this part of Europe,” he said. “We’re incredibly proud of what the team created and excited for the film to now begin its journey to audiences around the world.”

Void’s Vukota Antunović added: “From the beginning, ‘Sanctuary’ was driven by a shared belief in the story and the world we were building. Bringing together an international and domestic cast and a remarkable Serbian crew allowed us to make something that feels both rooted here and genuinely global.”

The ambitious, English-language feature marks a big swing for Telekom Srbija’s TS Media. In a statement provided to Variety, the company said that “Sanctuary” “represents a notable shift in scale and ambition for Serbian production.”

“The film is also part of a wider strategic ambition: to move Serbian scripted production further into the international marketplace, not only as a filming destination but as a source of original IP, creative talent and globally marketable projects,” the statement read.

“With experienced international actors, an English-language screenplay, U.S. distribution already in place and global sales representation, the project offers a case study in how production companies from smaller European markets can approach international genre filmmaking from day one.” 

Commenting on the acquisition, Sublimity co-founder Alfredo Lara Orbezo said: “We’re thrilled to have secured key international distribution partners and a terrific U.S. home for a film of ‘Sanctuary’s’ scope and ambition. Its immersive world-building, remarkable production values and unforgettable performances carry the spirit of iconic sci-fi cinema.

“Bringing this film to market alongside Telekom and Void Pictures has been an incredible journey, and we’re proud to share it with audiences worldwide soon.”

Telecommunications giant Telekom Srbija is looking to position itself as not only the leading production hub in Serbia but a regional juggernaut for the countries of the former Yugoslavia, exporting local content while attracting international productions to the Balkan nation.

“Our next chapter is a deeper connection with our international partners, and presenting not only Telekom Srbija, but the whole Serbian creative industry, to the global market,” says the company’s chief multimedia and content officer, Aleksandra Martinović.

Speaking to Variety from Belgrade, Martinović outlines Telekom Srbija’s blueprint for the coming years, building on its explosive growth in the past decade, in which the company has produced more than 300 titles, including more than 180 seasons of scripted drama. 

That output was part of a production boom in a country that’s been the dominant hub of film and television production in the Balkan region since the break-up of the former Yugoslavia. In recent years, the Serbian industry has grown by leaps and bounds, thanks in large part to competition between the telecom heavyweight and rivals including United Media and public broadcaster Radio Television of Serbia.

For Martinović, that period has witnessed a transition at Telekom Srbija from a “traditional ecosystem” for film and TV content to “a very open-minded and sophisticated regional production ecosystem in the last eight or nine years.”

In some respects, that’s meant scaling back, with the company producing fewer shows that are nevertheless more suited for the global market. That includes bigger swings on series like the Serbian Spanish crime drama “Scar,” an ambitious co-production created by Plano a Plano and produced by Cicatriz A.I.E. and Dopamine, in association with RTVE, Prime Video Spain, Telekom Srbija, Canal Plus Poland and RTL Hungary; or the forthcoming romantic dramedy “Crosscurrents,” which is filmed in Montenegro and produced as a regional co-production with that country’s public broadcaster, RTCG. 

Such series illustrate what Martinović characterizes as a strategy “to make choices more wisely and make choices more oriented to potential international partnerships and potential distribution to international markets.” One of the company’s most successful shows, the spy thriller “Civil Servant” (pictured), which is now entering its fourth season, has sold to Disney+ Hotstar in India, Brazilian streamer Globoplay, Telemundo and FlixLatino.

Next up is perhaps the company’s biggest gamble to date: the English-language, post-apocalyptic thriller “Sanctuary,” featuring “The Handmaid’s Tale” star Nina Kiri.

Martinović describes the film, which is directed by Filip Kovačević (“Incarnation”) and has been acquired for North America by Vertical, as “a huge risk and a huge challenge” for the company. “It’s very challenging, not only in the sense of authenticity, but also financing,” she says, adding that “international partners and distributors recognizing the value of that project” has been a boon for its backers.

It also illustrates how Telekom Srbija is punching above its weight, according to Martinović. “We are completely aware that we come from a small country,” she says. “Having the kind of content which we were able to sell to HBO, Disney+ and others, for us is very important praise and proof [of what we can do].”

Along with its prolific production arm, TS Media, Telekom Srbija is betting big on its streaming platform, MOVE — described by Martinović as a “regional Balkan Netflix” — while also “investing more in every element of the production chain,” most notably with the acquisition earlier this year of the Belgrade-based Firefly Studios.

“We have a [360-degree] approach regarding production,” says Martinović. “It’s production, distribution, offering infrastructure through our Firefly Studios, and, of course, selling our own content to international partners.”

The Firefly purchase underscores Telekom Srbija’s ambition to become “a one-stop shop in this part of Europe,” Martinović says, highlighting Serbia’s 25% cash rebate on local spend and some of the most skilled and experienced crews in the region. Among the recent success stories to come out of the country is “Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints,” the Fox Nation docudrama series executive produced and narrated by Scorsese and produced through Lionsgate Alternative Television. Parts of the project were filmed in Serbia, both at Firefly Studios and locations in and around Belgrade and Pančevo.

This has been a tumultuous time in Serbia, which has faced roiling protests for nearly two years in the wake of a devastating train station tragedy that claimed 16 lives. The turbulence has spread to the country’s film and television industries, with many professionals claiming they’ve been shut out by state-backed media over their political beliefs.

Martinović rejects such criticism. “We are completely aware of the social and political situation, but it doesn’t affect our general strategy,” she says. “We are fighting for the whole creative industry in Serbia. And we open the door for the whole creative industry in Serbia through international projects, through selling our own projects to international broadcasters, through trying to attract international partners…to come here and see what we have to offer. 

“Not ‘we’ only as TS Media, but ‘we’ as the Serbian creative industry,” she continues. “We are fighting for all of us — not only for Telekom Srbija, but for all of us. Through Telekom Srbija, which is the biggest player, we are trying to [lift] our whole creative industry and to present them on the global scene.”

International media executive and producer Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann and AI filmmaker Mark Wachholz have launched Dreamkite Studios, a Munich- and Berlin-based AI-native film studio, developing premium films, high-end TV series and IP-based short-form content.

Dreamkite will combine generative AI with traditional filmmaking, employing professional directors and actors to create AI-first and hybrid productions.

The company said it aims to become “one of the leading European premium film studios at the forefront of the rapidly evolving AI entertainment ecosystem, combining exceptional human storytelling, leading creative talent and a strong focus on European sovereignty and IP library.”

Higuchi-Zitzmann, the company’s CEO and founder, is one of Germany’s most internationally experienced media executives and producers. She served as CEO of Telepool, then part of Will Smith’s Westbrook. Before that, she was managing director of Matthias Schweighöfer’s Pantaleon Films and head of international acquisitions, sales and co-productions at Constantin Film.

Her career includes internationally successful titles including the Oscar-winning “La Vie En Rose,” “Asterix at the Olympic Games,” “My Blind Date With Life,” which sold to 54 countries, and the RTL+ event series “Herzogpark.”

Wachholz, who is chief creative director and co-founder, has worked as a writer across various media and genres for over 20 years, including television, video games and three fantasy novels. In the past three years, he has become a leading creative voice in AI filmmaking.

His 2025 AI film “The Cinema That Never Was” attracted attention from leading filmmakers such as Alex Proyas and John Gaeta, and won major international AI film awards, including Grand Prizes at the Omni International AI Film Festival, whose jury was headed by George Miller, and the Artefact AI Film Festival, chaired by Cédric Klapisch.

At Dreamkite, Wachholz will “shape the studio’s core creative and aesthetic vision and develop ambitious original projects together with its international network of AI filmmakers and creative talent,” the company said.

Higuchi-Zitzmann said: “Human creativity is the most valuable thing we have, and AI is a powerful new tool for outstanding storytelling. Dreamkite Studios brings together exceptional creative talent, premium IP and cutting-edge technology to build a new generation of European entertainment. We want to use this technology responsibly, strengthen European sovereignty and create stories that inspire audiences around the world.”

Wachholz added: “A new world needs new stories. We are living in a time of rapid transformation and increasing speculation — about the present, the future, what we thought was true and what we hold dear. Stories are humanity’s way of capturing reality, creating truth and generating meaning. AI technology finally allows us to become much more ambitious, independent, and bold in the worlds we create and the projects we imagine. At Dreamkite, we believe that the future of cinematic storytelling has only just begun.”

CREATIVE TALENT ON BOARD
Dreamkite is developing projects with a network of AI filmmakers, directors and creative technologists – spanning AI filmmaking, animation, directing, commercial and advertisement production and creative technology. These include:

Sylvia Nitzsche: A Berlin-based director and creative technologist specializing in AI-supported storytelling. Her work includes projects for clients such as Axel Springer and Universal Music.

Albert Bozesan: A Munich-based filmmaker, writer and former head of creative technology at Storybook Studios. His work spans bestselling audio storytelling, animation and AI-based productions, including “Space Vets” and “Tarmac.”

Eike Swoboda: A Hamburg-based director and composer, who trained under Wim Wenders. Specializing in AI-generated filmmaking, his work includes the sci-fi epics “Expiration Day” and “Echo Chamber” for Jeff T. Thomas’ Los Angeles AI studio NeoCinema and the folk horror short “It Used to Be Different.”

Florian Meimberg: A commercials director and early pioneer of AI-driven filmmaking. After 12 years as a creative director at agencies including BBDO, he developed hybrid AI productions for major brands including Persil and Lidl.

Shamila Lengsfeld: A German-Iranian director, AI filmmaker and creative technologist. Her superheroine short film “Blake” is now being developed by Dreamkite as an original series.

PROJECTS IN DEVELOPMENT
Dreamkite launches with a slate of original AI-native and hybrid projects currently in development. These are:

Wachholz’s “Céremony”: A “visually groundbreaking near-future conspiracy feature in a world where the suffering of children is publicly sanitized.” The story will expand the universe and characters of his 2025 short film of the same name, a Top 12 Finalist in the $1 million AI Film Award by 1BFS & Google Gemini.

Wachholz’s “The Day the World Prayed”: A high-concept global political thriller in which irrefutable proof that Jesus Christ never existed as a historical figure triggers a worldwide crisis of faith that can only be resolved by his supernatural return to Earth. Developed as a “paradigm-breaking” limited TV show, it will explore the systems and powers behind history, storytelling and religion.

Wachholz’s “Children of a Dead Star”: A Cold War sci-fi thriller in which East Germany intercepts an alien message that turns out to be a language virus capable of rewriting human thought and reality. Wachholz was born in East Germany and grew up close to the Berlin Wall. The story will “transform personal experiences into a timely reflection of today’s post-truth world.”

Lengsfeld’s “Blake”: A female-led superhero series set in a dystopian sci-fi world, combining action and striking visual storytelling with a powerful story of female and LGBTQ+ representation.

One of Dreamkite’s first major projects is the hybrid feature adaptation of the bestselling novel “The Color of Stars” (Die Farbe der Sterne) by Curtis Briggs and Stefan Lukschy. The crime comedy will combine cutting-edge AI filmmaking with outstanding live-action performances by professional actors.

Briggs said: “I am thrilled to see ‘The Color of Stars’ enter this new creative dimension. Dreamkite Studios shares our ambition to tell the story at the highest possible level while exploring entirely new cinematic possibilities. I believe this hybrid approach can create something truly unique for audiences around the world.”

Further projects will be announced soon, including the AI-animated adaptation of a high-profile bestselling European IP, as well as a cooperation with one of the world’s leading gaming companies, with whom Dreamkite is in advanced talks.

Created by Vivian Lin, Netflix’s latest YA series “Crew Girl” brings audiences into the competitive world of rowing. The show follows 16-year-old Teagan Tao (Miku Martineau), a single sculler whose entire life is derailed after her father, David (Byron Lawson), a wealthy hotelier, is caught stealing money from his clients. When David flees before the FBI can arrest him, Teagan and her mother, Ella (Jessica Paré), are blindsided, and are forced to leave their affluent Los Angeles community for Ella’s hometown, Eagle’s Cove, a fictional town in Massachusetts. A series about fresh starts, burgeoning romances and becoming a part of a team, “Crew Girl” is pretty to look at, but its lack of realism, choppy dialogue and monotonous themes sink the show.
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“Crew Girl” begins with a celebratory moment. With her parents in the audience, Teagan begins her race in the single sculler. Unfortunately, just before she wins, David steps away, leaving a short apology text in his wake just as the FBI swarms the stands. Six months later, having no resources aside from Teagan’s education fund, the mother/daughter pack up their lives and drive East to settle into Ella’s worn childhood home. Though Teagan isn’t thrilled about the transition, she puts her best foot forward at Easton Prep, quickly befriending border Juliet Morny (Olga Petsa) and getting in the crosshairs of Britney Garner (Sage Linder), the school’s resident Regina George.  
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But Teagan’s hopes for a fresh start are dashed when she hears from Coach Matt Hayden (Thomas Cadrot) that Easton Prep has a crew team only for boys. Determined, Teagan bulldozes her way through the boathouse, eventually becoming the team’s coxswain, the only non-rowing member who is tasked with steering, managing the race plan and motivating the rest of the team. To say Teagan has her work cut out for her is an understatement. The eight-man crew consists of rival cousins Josh (Sam Braun) and Ryder Regis (Connor Paton), scholarship student Cam Dillinger (Kyle Clark) and Britney’s twin brother, Bronson “Baloo” Garner (Jude Wilson), among others. The guys initially act like redpill-coded frat bros, and Teagan has to win the boys over so they can start winning races and get the school administration to consider a girls’ team.
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Across eight episodes, “Crew Girl” does have some redeeming qualities. Casting Martineau (who also stars in Netflix’s “Bet”), a Japanese Canadian, as the lead is an important marker of representation in a genre that rarely puts Black people and people of color in the driver’s seat. Moreover, though most of the adults showcased here are terrible parents who parentify their kids and focus on their own interests, Ella and Teagan’s mother-daughter bond is lovely. It’s built on safety and an appropriate amount of transparency. Moreover, the camaraderie and chemistry between Teagan and her crewmates, especially her respective sparks with both Cam and Josh, give the series some much-needed intrigue. Still, these highlights don’t save “Crew Girl” from falling into the same corny, cookie-cutter narratives we’ve seen countless times.
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The issues plaguing “Crew Girl” are the same problems that affect other recent YA dramas like Netflix’s “My Life With the Walter Boys” or Prime Video’s “The Runarounds”; the story has no real heart, soul or texture. While the show has all the themes expected in series focused on teenagers and young adults, worn-down tropes hinder “Crew Girl,” leaving its cast to sleepwalk through unrealistic, contrived plot points.
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As Gen Z and Gen Alpha come of age, they face many of the same things the generations before them had to navigate. Yet, they are the first to be coming into their own at this specific point in history. By highlighting a posh prep school and an all-boys rowing team divided between the haves and have-nots, “Crew Girl” isn’t speaking to a generation dealing with a hyper-digital world, post-pandemic anxiety and so much more.
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Until creators and writers capture the specificity of this time, audiences will be doomed to watch regurgitated stories that don’t highlight the uniqueness of Gen Z and how they are engaging with the world. Millennials and Gen X can look back in the zeitgeist of television and see their adolescence immortalized; young people today deserve the same reverence.

“Crew Girl” is now streaming on Netflix.

Georgi M. Unkovski’s “DJ Ahmet” leads the contest in the cinema categories for the Adriatic Film and TV Awards, which honor the top films and series from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia.

“DJ Ahmet” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Dramatic category, and won the Audience Award as well as the Special Jury Award for Creative Vision.

“DJ Ahmet” has seven Adriatic Awards nominations, followed by “Yugo Florida” with six, and “Wind, Talk to Me,” “Mother” and “God Will Not Help,” all with five.

“Black Sun” and “The Hollow” lead in the series categories with four nominations each, followed by “Komar” and “Shame,” with three each.

The nominations were decided by a vote by more than 800 members of the Film and TV Academy of the Adriatic Region, film and television professionals from those countries. They will now decide on the winners.

The awards will be presented on Oct. 24 in Porto Montenegro, Tivat, Montenegro.

The Film and TV Academy of the Adriatic Region was founded by the members of the Adriatic Region Festival Network: Sarajevo Film Festival, Auteur Film Festival Belgrade and Zagreb Film Festival.

2026 AFA Award Nominees:
FILM
DJ AHMET (North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Serbia, Croatia); directed by: Georgi M. Unkovski; producers: Ivan Unkovski, Ivana Shekutkoska
GOD WILL NOT HELP/BOG NEĆE POMOĆI (Croatia, Italy, Romania, Greece, France, Slovenia); directed by: Hana Jušić; producer: Ankica Jurić Tilić
MOTHER/MAJKA (Belgium, North Macedonia, Denmark, Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina); directed by: Teona Strugar Mitevska; producer: Labina Mitevska
WIND, TALK TO ME/VETRE, PRIČAJ SA MNOM (Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia); directed by: Stefan Đorđević; producer: Dragana Jovović
YUGO FLORIDA (Serbia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro); directed by: Vladimir Tagić; producer: Marija Stojanović

LEAD ACTRESS
Jasna Diklić – “The Pavilion”/“Paviljon”
Manuela Martelli – “God Will Not Help”/“Bog neće pomoći”
Noomi Rapace – “Mother”/“Majka”
Hana Selimović – “Yugo Florida”
Dora Akan Zlatanova – “DJ Ahmet”

LEAD ACTOR
Stefan Đorđević – “Wind, Talk to Me”/“Vetre, pričaj sa mnom”
Filip Đurić – “How Come It’s All Green Out Here?”/“Kako je ovdje tako zeleno?”
Arif Jakup – “DJ Ahmet”
Andrija Kuzmanović – “Yugo Florida”
Nikola Ristanovski – “Mother”/“Majka”

RISING STAR
Marko Grabež – “The Wedding”/“Svadba”
Arif Jakup – “DJ Ahmet”
Jana Milosavljević – “Yugo Florida”
Lamija Salihović – “Komar,” “The Hollow”/”Kotlina”
Ana Marija Veselčić – “God Will Not Help”/“Bog neće pomoći”

DIRECTOR
Stefan Đorđević – “Wind, Talk to Me”/“Vetre, pričaj sa mnom”
Hana Jušić – “God Will Not Help”/“Bog neće pomoći”
Teona Strugar Mitevska – “Mother”/“Majka”
Vladimir Tagić – “Yugo Florida”
Georgi M. Unkovski – “DJ Ahmet”

SCREENPLAY
Stefan Đorđević – “Wind, Talk to Me”/“Vetre, pričaj sa mnom”
Hana Jušić – “God Will Not Help”/“Bog neće pomoći”
Nikola Ležaić – “How Come It’s All Green Out Here?”/“Kako je ovdje tako zeleno?”
Goce Smilevski, Elma Tataragić and Teona Strugar Mitevska – “Mother”/“Majka”
Georgi M. Unkovski – “DJ Ahmet”

DEBUT FILM
Katarina Bogdanović (Kukla) – “Fantasy”
Stefan Đorđević – “Wind, Talk to Me”/“Vetre, pričaj sa mnom”
Ester Ivakič – “Ida Who Sang So Badly Even the Dead Rose Up and Joined Her in Song”/“Ida, ki je pela tako grdo, da so še mrtvi vstali od mrtvih in zapeli z njo”
Vladimir Tagić – “Yugo Florida”
Georgi M. Unkovski – “DJ Ahmet”

TV SERIES AWARDS
TV SERIES
“Black Sun”/“Senke nad Balkanom” (Serbia)
“Komar” (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
“Shame”/“Sram” (Croatia)
“The Monster Behind the Iron Curtain”/“Pošast za železno zaveso” (Slovenia)
“The Hollow”/“Kotlina” (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

LEAD ACTRESS IN A TV SERIES
Lejla Hakalović – “Komar”
Jana Jakopović – “Shame”/“Sram”
Nina Janković – “Black Sun”/“Senke nad Balkanom”
Nataša Ninković – “Black Sun”/“Senke nad Balkanom”
Snežana Vidović – “The Hollow”/“Kotlina”

LEAD ACTOR IN A TV SERIES
Dragan Bjelogrlić – “Black Sun”/“Senke nad Balkanom”
Boris Ler – “The Hollow”/“Kotlina”
Igor Skvarica – “Komar”
Borna Šimunek – “Shame”/“Sram”
Feđa Štukan – “The Hollow”/“Kotlina”

It’s just a couple of days before Jeff Goldblum is getting ready to head to London to host the Season 2 premiere of “SNL U.K.” on Sept. 12.

“I’m a big Anglophile,” he tells me on a Zoom from Italy, where he and his wife Emilie are enjoying a summer vacation. “I’ve read all of P.G. Wodehouse. We recently filmed ‘Wicked’ there, and I did the last ‘Jurassic’ movie there. I’ve spent a lot of time in London. I’ve done a couple of things on the West End. I’m a big fan. I’m excited and humbled and thrilled to be part of it.”

Goldblum is a two-time host of “Saturday Night Live” in the U.S. in 1993 and 1997.

“It’ll get your blood going and put you on alert,” he recalls. “It’s a fun, exciting, creatively chaotic and delicious week. It seems they’re following something of the same schedule this week. I kind of remember it in my bones. When you finally get yourself out there, you’re trying to just do the assignment. It’s a blast.”

Just three days after “SNL,” Goldblum and Emilie will be honored at Oceana’s annual New York gala at the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center on Sept. 15 for their work over the last almost 20 years championing the organization and its work to protect the world’s oceans. Martha Stewart will be named this year’s Ocean Champion. Sam Waterston, an Ocean Board member, will serve as master of ceremonies. The evening will mark Oceana’s 25th anniversary.

Goldblum was first introduced to Oceana through his manager Keith Addis, who is a longtime environmental activist. The Goldblums’ love of the water even inspired their sons’ names, Charlie Ocean, 11 and River Joe, 9.

“Charlie Ocean is so named apropos because he cannot stay out of that water, like just in and out, in and out, swimming all day long, body surfing,” Emilie says.

The couple also loved the ocean when they were kids. Jeff and his family would travel from their Pittsburgh-area home to Atlantic City in the summer. “I have a memory of my mother taking me into the ocean and holding me in her arms, cradling me in her arms and feeling for the first time waves,” he says. “I didn’t know about waves. Like what’s this movement in the water going up and down and up and down, bobbing up and down?”

Emilie, who grew up in Canada, spent time at the beach when she visited her grandparents in France. “There would be these little campgrounds, and we’d always camp close to an ocean,” she says. “That’s where we’d spend the whole day, and I would do gymnastics on the beach, tumbling and playing.”

Jeff joined Oceana in lobbying California lawmakers in Sacramento in support of SB 54, regulations that aim to decrease single-use packaging and plastic waste. The act was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2022. To date, Oceana’s New York Gala has contributed $20 million to support policy victories throughout the world.

 “It’s magical,” Jeff says of the world’s oceans. “It’s part of our paradise of a planet. And woe be us, and shame on us if we don’t do everything to counteract the damage we’ve already begun.”