Welcome once again, Insiders. Jesse Whittock here to take you through the top film and TV stories from the international community, and you can sign up to the newsletter here. Weâre also taking a moment to pay our respects to the victims of 9/11, 25 years ago in New York.
Uneasy reading: It was a week of bad numbers for European television, and stats donât usually lie. They were so bad in France, in fact, that the countryâs cultural body the CNC is hastily putting together a symposium to discuss exactly how bleak it all looks. Stewart reported annual French TV exports figures that showed Gallic content sales collapsed to a ten-year low. TV ad revenue declines mean less money for programs, and by extension, less TV to sell abroad. Added to that, while streamer investment in other countries is at least partially offsetting that problem, itâs not happening in France. Here are some of those numbers: International sales for 2025 are down 21.6% year-on-year at âŹ164.2M ($191M) and co-production investment is down 18.7% at âŹ87.7M. Pre-sale revenues also fell apart. Sacre bleu. Over in the UK, the numbers werenât much better. The annual Pact census revealed the countryâs production sector revenues actually hit their second-highest total ever at ÂŁ3.8B ($5.2B) â suggesting a sector in rude health. However, peering under the bonnet revealed a different picture. The spend from the UKâs broadcasters fell to pre-Covid levels of under ÂŁ2B and it was international revenue and non-TV assets that pulled the number up. While that shows British content is doing well, and that the countryâs production community is becoming more entrepreneurial, it highlights an increasing reliance on global streamers, and Pact CEO Nigel Warner said the fall in network spend â down for a third year in a row â was heaping pressure on smaller and mid-sized independent producers. In a bad week for the UK, Pact said the BBC could be sleepwalking towards âmanaged decline,â and Channel 4 confirmed the biggest job cuts in its history. Get your umbrellas out, itâs about to start raining. Better news from the cinema sector, where the International Union of Cinemas reported encouraging box office figures from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. France and Italy both posted record-breaking summer stats, and there were similar sorts of numbers coming from Spain, the Netherlands and the UK, whose picture house body, the UK Cinema Association, released stats showing more than 17 million admissions last month.
Sensational sights and sounds: Itâs been an eventful second week in Venice. The films have been strong, and so has the discourse. Speaking with Andreas, artistic director Alberto Barbera once again picked Martin McDonaghâs Wild Horse Nine as an early awards frontrunner, as buzz swept across the Lido. The longtime Venice chief also name-checked Lee Chang-Dongâs Possible Love and Robert Pattinson in Primetime as potential awards titles. Apart from the Oscars, Barbera also discussed the current AI race and much more. Read our full interview with him here. On the screenings side of things, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szorâs NAZA landed a sensational 25-minute ovation following its world premiere on Thursday. That time sets a new record for any movie at a major festival, surpassing the near 24 minutes scored by The Voice of Hind Rajab at last yearâs Venice. The documentary feature uncovers the Israeli militaryâs systematic killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Elsewhere, Florian Zellerâs latest Bunker, starring PenĂ©lope Cruz and Javier Bardem, earned a 16-minute ovation. Alex Gibneyâs Elon Musk doc was another thrilling the Venice audience. In his review, Deadlineâs Matt Carey wrote: âAlex Gibney has made a lot of vital documentaries. This is his most important.â The explosive feature very much upset the worldâs richest person, who called Gibney âa bitter old man.â Venice ends tomorrow. Follow our coverage of the closing night awards ceremony here. Over in Toronto, where things are just getting started, weâve got a raft of reviews and plenty of news and package scoops for you to peruse, along with this great preview from Anthony DâAlessandro.
Mercedes Ron has plenty to feel good about. The author is behind one of the biggest young adult film franchises of the past few years in Prime Videoâs Culpables trilogy. As the first Latina author with a first-look Amazon MGM Studios deal, sheâs now having ten of her Wattpad novels turned into feature films. Her new movie, Drawn Together, debuted on Wednesday, so Diana took the chance to sit down with her to talk about going from a 19-year-old with big dreams to one of international streamingâs most valuable creatives less than 15 years later. >>>International Disruptor
Family feud: Theyâre barely back in the UK, but Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are already embroiled in a renewed family squabble. At the top of the week, Buckingham Palace preemptively put out a statement on behalf of King Charles III reminding the public that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are âno longer working members of the Royal Family.â The Sussexes then coordinated a media briefing to express âsurpriseâ at the statement, only for Buckingham Palace to claim they had been made aware of its existence before it went wide. With Harry angry at his father and the establishment over a lack of security provision for his family, I canât see a reunion on the cards just yet.Â
đ¶ïž Hot One: Spanish Grammy winner RosalĂa is in early talks to join Alma Harâelâs buzzy TIFF market-bound family drama Wet.
đ¶ïž Another One: Netflix has picked up buzzy Australian documentary series 2.6 Seconds: Death in the Outback globally ahead of its world premiere in Toronto.
đ„ And a Third: BBC Studios Fiction is developing The Paying Guests, the only Sarah Waters novel never to be adapted for screen, with Kayleigh Llewellyn attached to pen the script.
đ€ âFeisty one, you are!â: Netflix officially confirmed the Inbetweeners reunion movie, with Simon Bird, James Buckley, Blake Harrison and Joe Thomas reprising their roles.
đ„ž New identity: Spainâs Mediapro will relaunch as Imagina on January 1, 2027, following a major company review and âseveral months of reorganization.â
đ Awards: John Turturro is set to receive the Golden Eye Award at the Zurich Film Festival, which kicks off later this month.
đ Lineup: The Zurich Summit has revealed its second batch of speakers including Oscar winner Edward Berger and Constantin Film CEO Oliver Berben.
â°ïž âOh, the hills are aliveâ: Prime Video got the YA gang together, with a campus-style retreat in the Bavarian alps including stars from Off Campus, Boys of Tommen, Love Me Love Me 2, Maxton Hall and Our Fault: London.
â Stop right there!: Donald Trumpâs administration took exception to UK government plans to compel online video giants like YouTube to promote âpublic service mediaâ content from outlets like the BBC.
âïž Signed: Arcade, the management company of The Sidemen, has signed a host of creators, including comedian Max Fosh, as it relaunches as an entertainment business.
đ„ Trailer: For Pablo LarraĂnâs Netflix miniseries My Sad Dead.
Burstyn With Pride â There was barely a dry eye in the room as the sparkling Oscar winner and nonagenarian Ellen Burstyn collected the Golden Lion For Lifetime Achievement Award in Venice on Monday.
International Insider was written by Jesse Whittock and edited by Jake Kanter. Zac Ntim contributed. Send any tips, comments or ideas for international coverage to jwhittock@deadline.com and mgoldbart@deadline.com
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