Priyanka Chopra-Produced Doc Debuting On Prime Video India
Women of My Billion (WOMB), a documentary about the forms of violence faced by women in India, will premiere exclusively on Prime Video India on May 3. Produced by Apoorva Bakshi and Monisha Thyagarajan’s Awedacious Originals in association with Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ Purple Pebble Pictures, the documentary follows protagonist Srishti Bakshi on a walking pilgrimage across India – spanning 3,800 km over 240 days – to talk to women from various backgrounds about their struggles and dreams. “Women have borne the brunt of gender bias for far too long, enduring a silent struggle against entrenched social injustices that seek to suppress their voices. With WOMB, the aim is to transcend these struggles – to be a beacon of hope,” said Chopra Jonas, Producer at Purple Pebble Pictures. “WOMB is not merely a depiction of pain and suffering, but a rallying cry and call for solidarity and action. We hope this film takes us a step closer to a world where every woman is appreciated, honored, and empowered to soar.” Ajitesh Sharma is the director.
‘Keeping Faith’ Producer Opens In Spain
UK-based producer Nevision has opened an office in Barcelona, Spain. The Keeping Faith and The Missing Children company will target development of scripted series in Spanish for local and global buyers. Tim Parfitt, the former CEO of Ediciones Condé Nast and Director General of Grupo Planeta’s Prisma Publicaciones, will lead the office, working alongside Nevision founder James Cabourne. Parfitt’s novel The Barcelona Connection is already in development with Nevision. This makes up one of three projects already houses at the Spanish office, with the other two coming through Spanish writer-director Roger Gual (Smoking Room, 7 Años). Nevision already has offices in London, LA and New York and a sister company in Nevis Productions that has bases in Stockholm Copenhagen. In further news, Anni Faurbye Fernandez, co-founder and CEO of Nevis Productions, is joining the parent company’s board.
Paramount+ Adds ‘Curfew’ Cast
Paramount+ has added cast to its upcoming UK thriller Curfew. Lucy Benjamin (Detectorists), Larry Lamb (Gavin and Stacey), Bobby Brazier (EastEnders) and Anita Dobson (EastEnders) have all joined the adaptation of Jayne Cowie’s novel. Benjamin is DCI Sue Ferguson, overseeing Pamela’s investigation. Lamb is Rhys Holden, whose family arrives in the UK from America and has to learn to adjust to life under the restrictive curfew system. The show follows a society governed by ‘The Women’s Safety Act’ where men are tracked by ankle tag and confined to their homes by a strict curfew from 7pm every night. Distributed by Federation Studios, it also stars Sarah Parish (Stay Close), Mitchell Robertson (Mayflies), Mandip Gill (Doctor Who) and Alexandra Burke (Pretty Red Dress). The show comes a few weeks after Deadline revealed Paramount had culled a wealth of international originals including The Burning Girls, The Killing Kind and The Serial Killer’s Wife as CEO Bob Bakish pivots focus to Hollywood franchises.
Professional Fighters League Releases Matchups For First MENA Edition
The first MENA edition of the Professional Fighters League will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from May 10. The League, which is an American Mixed Martial Arts competition founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis, originally launched in 2018 as the first major MMA organization in which individual athletes compete in a regular season, post-season and championship, rather than on a year-round basis. The MENA version will feature fighters from the Featherweight and Bantamweight divisions, competing in the PFL Playoff win and advance format. Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Al-Qahtani will battle Morocco’s Taha Bendaoud in the headline featherweight event. All four PFL MENA season events will be live on MBC Action and Shahid, MBC Group’s streaming platform in MENA. “PFL is all about creating opportunities, and we’re proud to offer fighters in the MENA region a chance to compete,” said Pete Murray, CEO of the PFL.
ITV Drama Boss & C4 Content Strategy Director Join Edinburgh Board
ITV’s head of drama and Channel 4’s content strategy director have joined the Edinburgh TV Festival advisory board. Polly Hill and Kiran Nataraja will be responsible for the governance and strategic direction of the festival as well as overseeing the finance, strategy and setting of longer-term goals in maintaining its position. Nataraja was the advisory chair last year and Mr Bates vs the Post Office commissioner Hill has been a long term festival contributor and panellist. The board appointments come in a year that also sees a new Creative Director at the helm of the UK’s biggest TV fest in Rowan Woods, who has joined from the London Film Festival. Nataraja said: “I’m looking forward to joining the board to continue to help shape the strategic direction of the Festival and further cement its value and importance to those who work in the industry in these ever-changing times.” Hill added: “We need to embrace changes within the industry, whilst recognising the power of television and its influence on our daily lives, and how it’s a force of good and can instigate cultural changes.”
Indian Streamer JioCinema Reduces Premium Plan Costs
Fast-growing Indian streamer JioCinema is reducing the cost of its subscription tier. New JioCinema Premium subscribers will be able to access a two-thirds discount of the previous cost. Priced at ₹29 (just 35¢) per month, the plan will provide ad-free access to Bollywood, Hollywood, entertainment content and kids TV across devices. JioCinema Premium subs will also get the benefits of a ‘Family’ plan otherwise priced at ₹89 per month for no additional cost. This offers access to four screens simultaneously. JioCinema’s free offer has shaken up the Indian streaming market, and even its paid-for tier significantly undercuts rivals such as Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar. Reliance Industries recently bought Paramount Global out of JioCinema parent Viacom18 Media, and is merging with Disney India — a deal that will mean JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar become sister services.
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