Cyber Group Studios announces major sale deals

Following an unprecedented Mipcom with the worldwide launch of Gigantosaurus, n°1 screened program during Mipjunior and Taffy the first Boomerang original, Cyber Group Studios Distribution is announced a raft of new sales of its programs to major partners.

Gigantosaurus will now be available on RAI (Italy) and SRC (Canada). The series has already been pre-sold to Disney Junior worldwide, Super RTL (Germany), France Télévisions and Netflix. Key Free TV deals are in very active discussions in Europe, America, Middle East and Africa to be announced soon.

Cyber Group Studios Distribution senior-vice president sales acquisitions and New Media Raphaelle Mathieu said, “We are proud to share with our clients major IP’s coming from our own production arm and from distributed programs acquired from talented independent producers worldwide. This market is a milestone for us and we intend to pursue our growth and keep on bringing the best programs to all our clients around the world whether local, regional or global actors and to both broadcasters and digital platforms.”

Cyber Group Studios also closed significant deals worldwide in the following territories:

In Western Europe:

  • RTVE (Spain) acquired The Pirates Next Doors and Mirette Investigates
  • RAI (Italy) acquired The Pirates Next Door
  • WDR/ARD – KIKA (Germany) acquired The Pirates Next Door
  • RTP (Portugal) acquired Mini-Ninjas S1 and The Pirates Next Door
  • RTBF (Belgium) acquired Mirette Investigates
  • TG4 (Ireland) acquired Zak Jinks

In Eastern Europe:

  • Vianet (Ukraine) acquired titles including Mirette Investigates, The Pirates Next Door
  • Zou, Zorro
  • Ceska TV (Tcheque Republic) acquired Long Long Holidays and Zou
  • Channel 1 (Russia) acquired Leo the wild life Ranger and Cloud Bread 2

In Asia, after the sale of Tales of Tatonka to CCTV (China), Cyber Group Studios has closed strategic deal with:

  • CJ English Gem (Korea) that acquired Ozie Boo Saves the Planet and Adam’s Bakery
  • Forever Group (Myanmar) that acquired Baloopo, Mia and Raju The Rickshaw

Digital expansion continues to grow with deals closed with SVOD platforms in Canada:

  • Télé-Québec acquired Zak Jinks
  • TVA that acquired Mini Ninjas – S1 and Zou
  • TFO that acquired Mirette investigates.

And package deals, closed with OTT platforms in the US:

  • Future Today
  • PlayKids

 

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Cartoon Network celebrates 20 years of heroic supremacy of ‘The Powerpuff Girls’

Cartoon Network rings in 20 glorious years of The Powerpuff Girls this November. Cartoon Network India along with The Souled Store have a colossal campaign in the pipeline, inviting fans across the country to celebrate the remarkable 20th anniversary of the two-time Emmy Award winning show.

Created by Craig McCracken, The Powerpuff Girls made their television debut in November 1998. Inspiring millions of girls and women across the world, the tiny superheroes became the original champions of girl power.  The brand’s message of empowerment has successfully transcended time and cultures, across the globe, and has resonated with many a generation. The show’s inimitable bond with fans has translated into $2.5 billion in retail sales since the original debut, making it one of Cartoon Network’s top-grossing brands. Through the year, fans are witnessing #EMPOWERPUFF – an epic world-wide celebration marking 20 years of the trio including new episodes, engaging activities, events and new products, all designed to inspire kids and empower young women and to figuratively fight the wrong and save the world.

In India, Cartoon Network, in partnership with The Souled Store, will announce the country’s first ever The POW-fect Girls – a list featuring 20 extraordinary women trailblazers. Cartoon Network India identified these 20 powerful women influencers from the diverse worlds of acting, sports and athletics, social activism, business, and entrepreneurship amongst others, for the inaugural edition of the list. While their achievements and accomplishments are varied, they are all bound by values and beliefs that chime with the iconic trio, shaping the way we think and act. Leaders in their fields, The POW-fect Girls are contemporary role-models who have redefined the rules of success and paved their way to unprecedented triumph.

Fans from India can also celebrate their love for the legendary trio by participating in a Mega Contest to win a trip for three, to Cartoon Network Amazone Water Theme Park in Thailand!

Fans simply need to tag their own Powerpuff Girls Squad to stand a chance to win this contest, details of which will be revealed on the official Facebook page and The Souled Store’s social media pages.

Turner India  managing director South Asia Siddharth Jain said, “We at Cartoon Network are thrilled to celebrate the milestone journey of The Powerpuff Girls – the most enduring and one of the top grossing franchises of all times. Over the years, The Powerpuff Girls have inspired and entertained fans across the globe with its distinct characters, adventure-comedy and its pop-culture influence across storylines. Our focus and strategy has always been to keep our fans at the forefront. In line with that thought, the 20-year anniversary, will see ardent fans join us to revel in nostalgia and celebrate the splendid journey of The Powerpuff Girls.”

Cartoon Network Enterprises – Asia Pacific vice president Vikram Sharma said, “After two awesome crime-fighting decades, this super-cute/super-fierce trio is showing no signs of putting their feet up. This franchise juggernaut continues to engage multiple demos- kid, tween and adult alike on multiple platforms. Our fantastic partnership with The Souled Store is just one of many in the coming months to get our Powerpuff Girls fans in India excited and they can look forward to a wide range of product launches across categories.”

The Powerpuff Girls will be visiting their fans for that extra dose of excitement, fun and entertainment – from those who witnessed the evolution of the three, to little kids of now who adore the reboot.

The 90’s classic has crossed the 20-year milestone at a resounding pace. The Powerpuff Girls will continue to empower children and adults alike worldwide, and the 20th year celebrations are just one more way of bolstering the herculean message of love and unity.

 

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CuriosityStream chief content officer Steve Burns adds to the line-up of speakers at ATF conference

The Asia TV Forum and Market today announced the addition of CuriosityStream’s chief content officer Steve Burns, to the line-up of C-level executives. As chief content officer, Burns is responsible for CuriosityStream’s entire library of original productions and acquisitions, including award-winning titles and series such as Stephen Hawking’s Favorite Places and David Attenborough’s Light On Earth.

Steve Burns



ATF group project director Yeow Hui Leng said, “ATF is Asia’s leading platform for engaging the TV and film entertainment industry’s top players from around the world. To this end, we remain committed to curating a conference programme that gathers the sector’s top minds. Over four days, delegates can look forward to gathering valuable insights for the year ahead.”

CuriosityStream completes a compelling picture at this year’s ATF Leaders’ Summit. In line with the overarching theme of The Next New, CuriosityStream joins a line-up of the new breed of companies, coined as the second wave in digital, which includes the likes of Propagate Content  founder and Co-CEO Howard T Owens, MX Player CEO Karan Bedi,  Huawei Video chief content officer and global president of strategy Jian Ju and QYOU Media CEO Curt Mavis.

It is being produced by Country of Focus (Philippines) aligned with the Singapore Media Festival, which ATF is part of. This will be reflected during the Leaders’ Summit, where a keynote panel will discuss new platforms, buying more content and what’s next on the landscape in the Philippines.

The panel, Country of Focus: the Philippines at the Crossroads, will offer valued insights and visions from top Filipino media and entertainment players in the industry. This includes ABS- CBN CEO Carlo Katigbak, TV5 CEO Vincent Reyes and Cignal TV CMO Guido Xavier R. Zaballero, moderated by HOOQ CEO Peter Bithos, the session will give the industry’s top insights into leadership roles in the country, competition and how the digital revolution is changing partnerships and investment decisions.

This session’s significance is also reflected in the presence of  ABS-CBN chairman Mark Lopez, who will be attending ATF this year. ATF Production Day 2018 attracts top commissioners with an emphasis on growing industry understanding, evolution and capabilities including the discussion on the ins and outs of what has been working and what will continue to work in the content space moving forward.

The informative Trending Asia, Winning Formats session, led by K7 Media CEO Keri Lewis Brown, a UK-based media consultancy that provides intelligence to help broadcasters, digital producers and advertisers identify the hottest content, will open the day’s programme, presenting an exclusive selection of pilots and hits amongst Asia’s prominent formats, dissecting them based on their targets, time slots and budgets. This year, the session will also include a segment on scripted formats.

Keynote panel East Meets West: New Business Models to Develop Asian Format Exports will attempt to address what it will take for Asian formats to travel beyond the region. Veterans sitting on the panel include  Red Arrow Studios chief creative officer Michael Peter Schmidt, Media Solution CJ E&M director of content (global business division) Jin-Woo Hwang, ITV Studios Global Entertainment VP Pascal Dalton and Nippon TV international business development head Fusako Nagashima

C-level executives from prominent OTT players will take the stage later in the day for their keynote presentations, HOOQ chief content officer Jennifer Batty will look at Content Today, adapting and staying relevant.

ATF Pitches ATF 2018 will be launching the inaugural ATF Chinese Pitch Mystic Asia where winners, apart from receiving cash, will have the opportunity to have their scripts bought and produced by GHY Culture and Media and broadcasted on iQIYI for all Chinese-speaking territories.

The second year of the ATF Animation Pitch and the third year of the ATF Formats Pitch has pulled in onstage judges from the likes of Netflix, Disney, Nickelodeon, HOOQ, Beach House Pictures and Discovery Networks Asia Pacific. ATF and ScreenSingapore take place from 4 to 7 December 2018 and is a part of the Singapore Media Festival (SMF).

Asia TV Forum and Market (ATF) 2018, the region’s leading entertainment content event, is the platform to acquire knowledge, network, buy, sell, finance, distribute and co-produce across all platforms. It is the premier stage in Asia to engage with the entertainment industry’s top players from around the world. It’s where the best minds meet and the future of Asia’s content is shaped.

ATF also offers the opportunity to discover vital trends, crucial statistics and significant foresight in TV’s digital, kids and formats arenas. Its business match-making opportunities open doors to some of the best new offerings in the region. With over 5,500 international buyers and sellers from 54 countries, ATF presents valuable business prospects for top of the line benefits.

ScreenSingapore 2018 ScreenSingapore is Southeast Asia’s definitive marketplace for filmmakers, producers, distributors, financiers and film buyers to explore co-production opportunities, seek financing, make deals and stay abreast of the evolving film landscape.

Reed Exhibitions (RX) is the world’s leading events organiser, with over 500 events in over 30 countries.  Reed events are held throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa and organised by 38 fully staffed offices. It serves 43 industry sectors with trade and consumer events and is part of RELX Group, a global provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries

With the array of industry professions from across the world gracing the event, we look forward to getting insightful nuggets of information at the event.

 

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20th Century Fox drops a new trailer of ‘Alita: Battle Angel’

The latest trailer for the manga adaptation Alita: Battle Angel has been released and it is packed with thrilling action while plunging further into its dystopian cyberpunk world.

The trailer starts with the titular cyborg sneaking out of her home to enjoy a nocturnal tryst with her boyfriend before discovering she wasn’t invented by scientist Dr. Dyson Ido, rather is a remnant from a more advanced society, built for combat. These hard-hitting skills are put to good use when Alita starts taking part in the futuristic contact sport Motorball with explosive results. “Tonight isn’t a game, it’s a hunt,” declares Mahershala Ali’s Vector, a character who rigs Motorball games.

An adaptation of Yukito Kishiro’s popular manga series, Battle Angel Alita loosely adapts the first four volumes of the manga. The film stars Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley, Keean Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Lana Condor, and Eiza González.

Directed by Robert Rodriguez, Alita: Battle Angel will hit the theaters on 14 February 2019.

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Vaughan International Film Festival to present a workshop by Terry Notary

For the first time in Eastern Canada,Vaughan International Film Festival (VFF) is thrilled to announce a new and innovative workshop presented by VAPZ Tastebudz on 17 November, with Terry Notary, one of the most notable motion capture experts in the world, whose talents have contributed to blockbuster franchises such as Avengers Infinity War, rebelling as Teen Groot, The Planet of the Apes, hanging as Rocket, and wrestling titans as King Kong in Kong: Skull Island.

Notary’s most recent job as movement coach included Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson’s Rampage and Disney’s highly anticipated remake of The Lion King. Calling on all actors, stunt performers, dancers, directors, and anybody interested in the intricacies of the film industry’s most coveted modern acumen; the committee invites those looking to hone their craft and truly embrace the future of film-making.

The two workshop sessions (three hours each) located in Vaughan, will include detailed lessons in stunt choreography and performance movement, with a bonus Q&A to follow. Learning from one of Hollywood’s masters, Notary’s knowledge in performance movement will allow you to reform, and often times set aside, basic humans’ habits to truly encapsulate the physicality of another foreign body. This intimate and interactive event is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get insider information on the next generation of performance capture talent.

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Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards 2018 is back

It’s time to blow the trumpets and roll out the orange carpet for Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards 2018.  The most award show for the kids and by the kids will once again witness fun and entertainment. Hosted by Kartik Aryan, Kids Choice Awards 2018 will have the best of Bollywood – Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt and Sonakshi Sinha set the stage on fire with the kids’ favorite Nicktoons!  The kids award show is all set to come to life on 13 December 2018 at NSCI Dome, Mumbai.

Viacom18 Head – Hindi Mass Entertainment and Kids TV Network Elavia Jaipuria said, It brings me immense pleasure to present yet another year of Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards. This year, the event is slated to come to life as an apex entertainment bonanza for kids and their families. Our intent with this novel award show is entertaining kids, empowering them and their choices as well as engaging with parents, making it a truly memorable family experience.”

Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards is an extravaganza where none other than the kids decide who will take home the most coveted award – the Nickelodeon Blimp! Kids Choice Awards 2017 saw Ranveer Singh being voted the best actor, Alia Bhat the best actress, Varun Dhawan the favorite entertainer of the year and Golmaal Again was voted by the kids as the favorite movie of the year. This year the voting is across 13 categories including  favorite actor, favorite actress, favorite movie, favorite song, favorite mobile game and many others.

Kids Choice Awards 2018 is all set to up the ante on entertainment. Children’s favorite Nicktoons – Motu Patlu, Shiva, Rudra, to name a few will shake a leg with Alia Bhatt, Sonakshi Sinha and Varun Dhawan, making the event an entertaining experience. Like last year which saw Alia Bhatt get drenched in slime and Ranveer Singh slide into a pool of slime, this year too, slime will be the mark of honor for the winner.

So, it’s time to see who will take home the Nickelodeon Blimp and which superstar will get dunked in slime!

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The release date of the upcoming ‘Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi’’ to be pushed further?

Right from the day the first look of Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi has released, there has been a lot of buzz and conjecture around it. A few moons ago, there were reports that it’s going to roll up on the big screen on 25 January in addition to the posters that bore the same date. But recent reports suggest the dates may get pushed further.


It seems to be raining VFX in bollywood with movies like Thugs of Hindostan and 2.0 setting a high standard in the visual scene. Bollywood projects are steadily beginning to grasp the subtleties of technology. We can only surmise that VFX aspect getting enough attention and consideration could be one of the reasons for the delay.

Actress Kangana Ranaut seems keen on having special visual effects in her upcoming film Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi which is assertive from the reported rescheduling of the release date. The storyline is based on the life of a warrior princess Rani Laxmibai.

Manikarnika is a very special project for us and the quality of work our VFX team from Prime Focus is providing us with, is extraordinary. We have got tremendous positive feedback for our teaser’s VFX. With the kind of passion and dedication our VFX team is working towards the deadlines is exemplary and heart-warming.We have something very special in our hands. We are very excited for the film’s release but we have a lot of work to accomplish,” Kangana said in a statement shared with the media.

The movie has also been a subject of controversy ever since the news of Kangana stepping in behind the camera to direct patchwork surfaced.

We hope this movie lives up to the expectation and hype built around it. The movie, initially slated to be released on 25 January, might release at a later date.

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Lemons to Lemonade

In this article, we hear from Matt Smithson and David Stanfield of Igor and Valentine to learn a bit about how they came to work together and gain some insight into their new film.

Lucas Brooking updates!

Compulsory viewing: the Computer Animation Festival at SIGGRAPH Asia Tokyo 2018

'Reverie' - SIGGRAPH Asia 2018 CAF 'Best Student Film Award'
‘Reverie’ – SIGGRAPH Asia 2018 CAF Best Student Film Award

Here at vfxblog we’ve already previewed some of the VFX-related talks and dived into the Technical Papers process for SIGGRAPH Asia Tokyo this year. Now we look at the other conference highlight: the Computer Animation Festival.

The ‘CAF’ takes in the Animation and Electronic Theater, and the VR Theater, plus a selection of panels and talks about the latest in computer animation and visual effects. It’s definitely one of the best places to catch up with films from around the world.

vfxblog asked Computer Animation Festival Chair Shuzo John Shiota, who is also is the President and CEO of Polygon Pictures Inc., to tell us more about how the CAF works and what to look forward to this year.

vfxblog: People are always dying to know: what is the difference between the Animation Theater and the Electronic Theater?

Shuzo: The Electronic Theater is a 100+ minute show comprised of the very best 2018 has to offer in terms of computer graphics storytelling. The types of story are quite varied, ranging from short animations, visual effects, game cinematics, music videos, to scientific visualization.

The Animation Theater is comprised of works that didn’t quite make the Electronic Theater selection but are nevertheless worthy of merit, or works that have a longer running time which make them hard to program within the ET. Interesting note is that SIGGRAPH North America no longer has the Animation Theater in its program, so it’s sort of like a lost dialect that only exists in Asia.

Also, don’t forget the VR Theater, debuting in SIGGRAPH Asia for the first time, which showcases the vest VR storytelling pieces of the past year.

vfxblog: Can you talk about the submission and judging process for the Computer Animation Festival – how did you arrive at the participants and the winners?

Shuzo: We had about 400 submissions from all over the world. They were first reviewed by our online reviewers, comprised of industry veterans, who nominated selections to be sent to the final jury. On formulating the final jury, in addition to the deep knowledge of the art and industry that is expected of any CAF juror, my aim was to 1) bring in an Asian perspective (5 of the 7 jury members are Asian, and another is currently working in China), 2) create a female majority (4 out of 7 are female), and 3) create generational diversity (the jury ranges from members with decades of experience to a young artist in his 20’s who is also a multiple CAF Asia awardee).

The jury made its selection based on the following criteria. 1) Craftsmanship, 2) Relevance, 3) Originality, and most importantly, 4) Does it move you.

'L'oiseau qui danse' - SIGGRAPH Asia 2018 CAF Best In Show Award
‘L’oiseau qui danse’ – SIGGRAPH Asia 2018 CAF Best In Show Award

vfxblog: Do you feel like there were any particular trends in the submissions this year?

Shuzo: On watching the CAF trailer, I think you will find that the look and feel of the selected titles are truly diverse and eclectic. This underscores the fact that computer graphics as a medium of storytelling has truly matured, and is now capable of creating images in a myriad of styles.

vfxblog: What kinds of panels and talks related to the CAF are planned?

Shuzo: We have around 10 production sessions that will no doubt give the audience valuable insights on a wide range of digital production; from Hollywood blockbusters by the likes of Pixar, distinct digital Anime productions by local Japanese studios, VR productions, to 64K intro productions.

We are also planning to hear from the director of this year’s “Best in Show”, “L’oiseau qui danse”.

'Vermin' - SIGGRAPH Asia 2018 CAF Jury Special Award
‘Vermin’ – SIGGRAPH Asia 2018 CAF Jury Special Award

vfxblog: Now that the winners have been announced, are you able to say which of the submissions also stood out for you?

Shuzo: I am very happy about the selections. I think we have a very good Electronic Theater, Animation Theater, and VR Theater. As a Chair, I am not able to personally vote, but ultimately, all the pieces I was rooting for got chosen as the top picks!

You can register to attend SIGGRAPH Asia Tokyo 2018 at http://sa2018.siggraph.org/registration.