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RENEWAL

World Productions (“Vigil,” “Line of Duty”) is producing a new season of hit series “Showtrial” for BBC One and iPlayer. Writer and creator Ben Richards (“The Diplomat”) returns for the series.

In the show, when high-profile climate activist Marcus Calderwood is left for dead in a violent hit and run, he uses his dying moments to identify his killer – a serving policeman. From the victim’s last breath to the jury’s final verdict, “Showtrial” delves into the worlds of cocky officer Justin Mitchell (Michael Socha, “Chernobyl”); Sam Gill (BAFTA winner Adeel Akhtar, “Sherwood”), an anxious defense solicitor with a reputation for winning lost causes; and Leila Hassoun-Kenny (Nathalie Armin, “The Batman”), a rigorous lawyer leading the case against the accused.

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The first season aired on the BBC in the U.K. in 2021 and found a U.S. home in Sundance Now.

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“Showtrial” (5 x 60′) is directed by Julia Ford (“Everything I Know About Love”) and produced by Ken Horn (“Line of Duty”). Executive producers are Simon Heath and Emma Luffingham for World Productions (an ITV Studios company), with Nawfal Faizullah for the BBC. It is produced with support from Northern Ireland Screen, in association with ITV Studios which will also handle international distribution. Filming begins in November in Belfast.

RELIGHTING A CANDLE

New Zealand-based genre film specialist Black Mandala has launched international sales duties on horror-paranormal chiller “The 100 Candles Game: The Last Possession.” A sequel to the 2021 film “The 100 Candles Game,” which was adapted from a Japanese game, “The Last Possession” is co-directed by international filmmakers including Guillermo Lockhart, Charly Goitia, Jeronimo Rocha, David Ferino, Maximilian Niemman, Arie Socorro, Andres Borghi and Ryan Graff.

A group of influencers decides to play a paranormal game in the mysterious Stonewall Mansion. To do this, they form a circle with a hundred lit candles and begin to narrate horror stories live for their social networks, without knowing that this place hides a dark past. They have awakened something evil. The youngsters will have to continue the game until the end if they want to survive.

The film stars Argentinian scream queen and social media influencer Magui Bravi; Nacho Francavilla; Josefina Fariña; Justina Ceballos; Zhang Zhongbo, Pachi Lucas; Iago Illescas; Maite Solsona; Agustin Olcese; McKaley Miller (“Ma,” “Bones”); Kieran Bew (“Alien vs. Predator”) and Brett DelBuono (“Oppenheimer,” “Let Me In!).

Black Mandala handles sales of its own productions and third-party titles and is an official aggregator of platforms around the world, such as Amazon, Tubi, HOD, Frightfan IFlix, and Pantaflix.

DEVELOPMENT FUNDING

Screen Australia has announced 29 feature films, 13 television dramas, four online projects and one VR project will share in over A$1.2 million ($800,0000 of story development funding. The projects include: “Forget Me Not,” the latest series from “Class of ’07” creator Kacie Anning; feature film “Koa Kid,” from writer-director Leah Purcell of “The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson”; VR project “The Place I Carry Within”; and online project “Adventuries of the Century,” the third instalment of the series from Dylan Murphy and Molly Daniels of “Celebration Nation” and “Wispy.”

Included in this slate are 28 projects that have been supported through the Generate Fund and 19 through the Premium Fund.

APPOINTMENT

ITV Studios has become an associate member of the TV Access Project and Bethany Matthews has been appointed as its first in-house access coordinator, reporting into Julie Clark, director of production, drama and Sam Tatlow, creative diversity partner at ITV.

Matthews will sit across all seven in-house ITV Studios’ drama labels, working alongside production teams to ensure solutions are in place that remove barriers to accessibility requirements. This includes: ensuring all production teams, crew and cast complete accessibility training, reviewing the accessibility of production sites and working with post-production to ensure accessible editing facilities.

FIRST LOOK

The first look of Saif Ali Khan in Indian film “Devara” has been revealed. The film is headlined by “RRR” star NTR Jr and also features Janhvi Kapoor. It is directed by Koratala Siva. The film is produced by Kosaraju Hari Krishna and Sudhakar Mikkilineni under the banners NTR Arts and Yuvasudha Arts respectively and is presented by Nandamuri Kalyan Ram. 

POLL

Ramesh Sippy‘s iconic 1975 curry western “Sholay” has topped Indian entertainment portal Film Companion‘s first Best Indian Films Forever List. Taking a leaf out of the revered Sight & Sound poll playbook, the list canvassed the rankings of Indian filmmakers and actors including Mira Nair, Karan Johar, Zoya Akhtar, Hrithik Roshan, Anil Kapoor, NTR Jr and Yash and several critics and cinephiles.

  • “Sholay” (1975), Ramesh Sippy
  • “Pather Panchali” (1955), Satyajit Ray
  • “Pyaasa” (1957), Guru Dutt
  • “Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro” (1983), Kundan Shah and “Meghe Dhaka Tara” (1960), Ritwik Ghatak (tied)
  • “Mughal-e-Azam” (1960), K. Asif
  • “Charulata” (1964), Satyajit Ray
  • “Nayakan” (1987), Mani Ratnam
  • “Satya” (1998), Ram Gopal Varma
  • “Iruvar” (1997), Mani Ratnam
  • “Garm Hava” (1974), M.S. Sathyu and “Guide” (1965), Vijay Anand (tied)

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