Welcome back to Insider Land. Jesse Whittock with you live from Edinburgh, where the final TV festival has been taking place (or is it?). Read on for the top industry news from the international entertainment world. Sign to the newsletter – and the full Insider experience – here.
End of an era: The final Edinburgh Television Festival dominated headlines this week, as the UK industry headed up to the Scottish capital for one last blowout during the city’s cultural month. You’ll recall Edinburgh lost out to Manchester after the fest’s organizer, The TV Foundation, held a bidding process for next year’s event. There went 51 years of history in Scotland, bar this final event, which came with a genuine sense of an era ending. Jake and I have been up here most of the week reporting from conference sessions, where the likes of Netflix, the BBC and YouTube have taken the opportunity to speak directly to the industry. It was a big one – YouTube EMEA boss Pedro Pina delivered the final James MacTaggart lecture in Scotland and appealed for collaboration not consternation from the industry, while former Google exec Matt Brittin provided some classic Auntie blue-sky thinking in his first address to the TV world as the BBC’s Director General. All our extensive coverage is here. In the halls of the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, producers, broadcasters and creatives have been wistfully recalling stories of years gone by, when Edinburgh really was the center of the TV world in late August. One major production boss told me over coffee yesterday that, “Manchester has a hard act to follow.” From a personal perspective, my annual visit to Scotland’s capital during Edinburgh Fringe month has always felt alive and celebratory, and I share the disappointment around the move – though at more than $300 a night for a standard hotel room it’s understandable why it’s all over. Or maybe it’s not…
They’ve only gone and done it: When I arrived in town on Wednesday, there a rumor going round: That industry body Screen Scotland was planning an announcement to confirm Max’s scoop from last month that it was going to launch a new TV industry festival in Edinburgh that would, in effect, replace the exiting one. And so it came to pass at a launch event attended by the likes of Edinburgh proponent and Baby Reindeer star Richard Gadd. A second phase of development is now underway for an event that would sit next to the comedy, film and book festivals that are held in this artistic city each August. “Edinburgh has a unique role to play in bringing together the people, ideas and creative work that will shape the future of the screen,” said David Smith, the Screen Scotland exec behind the new fest. He pointed to the reams of creative people who stay here each year, by hook or crook, as evidence that you can’t just up sticks and leave it all behind. Full story here.
It was time to look back at some of the best Global Breakouts of 2026 this week, before we head into the home stretch of the festive period. Our aim with the GB format is always to explore the golden nuggets from all corners of the planet, where films or shows have cut through – often unexpectedly. It gives the readers a taste of what’s out there and what might be on TV screens or cinemas elsewhere at some stage. Normal service will resume the week after next with a fresh Breakout, but for now, eyeball titles from France, Norway, Israel and Ukraine. >>>Read The Article
International Oscar race begins: We now know the identities of 21 films that will be competing to win the Best International Feature Film category at the 2027 Oscars. Submissions have come in from North and South America, Europe and Asia and there will probably be even more by the time you read this. Deadline’s film team are adding to this useful central article compiling every entry, and have helpfully explained how new rules are allowing new types of films to compete. Cannes Palme d’Or winner Fjord is a beneficiary – it is eligible as the Romanian entry (if the country picks it) due its fest success, despite being shot in and being about Norway. The race to succeed Walter Salles’ Brazilian political drama I’m Still Here as the Academy’s top non-U.S. feature film is very much on.
🌶️ Hot One: Netflix has greenlit a Roald Dahl series based on the author’s short stories for adults, with a cast including Nicola Coughlan, Imelda Staunton and Dominic West.
🌶️ Another One: Prime Video has ordered a six-part limited series based on Stephen King’s Crouch End short story.
🔥 Third for luck: Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s Cannes Competition drama The Beloved has secured a North American release with Kino Lorber.
🎵 Musical: The Nanny McPhee stage musical will open in London in summer 2027.
🖋️ Message of support: Richard Gere has sent a message to the people of Nepal and Tibet following devastating landslides and flash floods on their border in which at least a thousand people are believed to have died.
🚪 Exiting: Hilary Strong is stepping down from her CEO post at John Gore Studios.
🤝 It’s a deal: Ron & Aussie Productions has signed a three-picture deal with Toronto-based Launch North, the Canadian arm of Los Angeles-based media company The Launch Company.
🎤 Interview: Annouchka de Andrade told Zac about preserving her mother Sarah Maldoror’s legacy – with some help from Martin Scorsese.
👩🏼 She’s back: Former NBC and BBC news chief Deborah Turness is joining Independent Talent Group to launch a creative studio.
🍿 Legal: 5, the UK public broadcasting network owned by Paramount, is being taken to court by established supplier Blackbox Multimedia over the demise of a crime drama series.
⚖️ Bittersweet: Bitters End international chief Sayaka Ito told Liz about Japan’s new generation, the indie spirit and expanding into sales
🎞️ Trailer: Neon has debuted the official trailer for Cristian Mungiu’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner Fjord ahead of its U.S. theatrical release on October 9.
Shake On It – Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and French President Emmanuel Macron announce that Saudi Arabia will invest €6B ($7B) in three huge theme parks planned to be built near Paris.
International Insider was written and edited by Jesse Whittock. Send any tips, comments or ideas for international coverage to jwhittock@deadline.com and mgoldbart@deadline.com
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