Asacha Hires Disney Exec; IFC Buys Kurt Vonnegut Doc; ITV Torvill & Dean Film – Global Briefs

Paris-headquartered content creator and producer Asacha Media Group has hired Maria Grazia Ursino as Vice President of Content Development and Distribution. She joins from Disney where she most recently served as Sales Director for Turkey, Israel and Greece, following the company’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox. She previously held the role of Executive Director at Fox Networks Group Content Distribution’s business in Italy, Spain and Portugal, responsible for distributing Fox Networks’ and National Geographic’s catalogues, following a stint at Sony Pictures Television. In her new position she will be based in Rome and will lead the company’s co-productions, content development and distribution across Europe, with a focus on Southern Europe and Hispanic speaking markets.

IFC Films has picked up North American rights to Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck In Time, Robert B. Weide’s feature doc about the American actor. Tracing the life and career of the famed novelist and humorist, who died in 2007 at age 84, the film is produced by Whyaduck Productions and 9.14 Pictures. IFC Films is planning a release in summer 2021.

ITV has commissioned documentary Dancing On Thin Ice With Torvill & Dean produced by Wingspan Productions. The feature-length film follows Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean as they travel to Alaska on an extraordinary quest to fulfil a life-long dream that also provides a first-hand insight into the effects of climate change. Stephen Fry is narrating the pic and Emma Frank directing.

The Upright Women, a documentary about the legacy of women’s rights in West Africa, launches on Amazon today. Three years in the making, the film investigates today’s current socio-political climate and tackles the fight against gender imbalance in Burkina Faso, a forgotten land devastated by Western political intervention 30 years ago through the assassination of a leader who was at the forefront of gender equality. Patrick Pearse directed, producers are Peter Williams, Mathilde Ollivier and Patrick Pearse. ICM Partners is handling international rights.