Mary Berry’s New Series; Viacom Chilevision Deal; BBC Boards ‘Marie Antoinette’; Susanne Bier EFA Honor; Red Sea Industry Lineup – Global Briefs

Mary Berry BBC Series 

Great British Bake Off alum and Britain’s Best Home Cook judge Mary Berry is reteaming with BBC One for Mary Berry’s Fantastic Feasts. The three-part series, which will also air on iPlayer, sees Berry help novice cooks who want to surprise a loved one with a great meal, teaching them a selection of achievable, impressive dishes. On the day of the special event, Berry and two celebrity helpers will be on hand to assist. Mary Berry’s Fantastic Feasts is produced by Rumpus Media (The Misadventures Of Romesh Ranganathan, Mary Berry Saves Christmas). Emily Hudd and Kelly Sparks are executive producers. Applications for aspiring cooks are open and an air date has yet to be set.

Viacom Buys Chilean TV Network

ViacomCBS Networks International has closed previously announced acquisition of Chilevisión from WarnerMedia. The acquisition includes Chilevisión’s free-to-air television network, which is Chile’s most watched television channel this year to-date. The investment also includes Chilevisión’s library of content spanning multiple genres including sports, entertainment, and news, as well as its production capabilities. Chilevisión will fall under the leadership of Juan Acosta, President of ViacomCBS International Studios and Networks Americas. “Our investment in Chilevisión strategically expands ViacomCBS’ global ecosystem, strengthening our position as a leading Spanish-language content producer,” said Raffaele Annecchino, President and CEO, ViacomCBS Networks International.

BBC Boards ‘Marie Antoinette’

BBC Two has snapped up rights to upcoming historical drama Marie Antoinette, from The Favourite writer Deborah Davis. The new, eight-part series follows the story of the modern and avant-garde young queen, played by Emilia Schüle (Ku’damm 63), who was just 14 years old when she left Austria to marry the Dauphin of France. Pete Travis (Bloodlands) and Geoffrey Enthoven (Children Of Love) direct from scripts penned by Davis, Louise Ironside (The Split), Avril E. Russell (All On A Summer’s Day) and Chloë Moss (Run Sister Run). Project is produced by Banijay Studios France, CAPA Drama and Les Gens and the acquisition marks the first international deal for the Canal Plus original.

EFA Prize For Susanne Bier

Oscar and Emmy winning Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier, whose credits include The Night Manager, In A Better World and After The Wedding, will receive an honorary European Achievement In World Cinema award from the European Film Academy this year. The director will pick up the prize as a guest at the 34th European Film Awards Ceremony on 11 December in Berlin.

SWR Media Rebrand

Emmy nominated UK indie SWR Media has rebranded as Dash Pictures. Based in London and Los Angeles and run by Daniel Sharp, the outfit has credits including Disasters Engineered, bought by Discovery UK and US. Upcoming are historical series Vikings: The Rise and Fall, and Fantastic Friends, about James and Oliver Phelps of Harry Potter fame, which will be launched at MIPCOM next month.

Red Sea Souk Lineup

Ahead of its debut edition, Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival has selected its projects for the Red Sea Souk, an initiative designed to discover and connect Arab and African filmmakers from the region. The event will be comprised of a project market, screenings of films in-progress, an exhibition space hosting the main players of the region, panels and industry talks, and networking opportunities. The fest said more than 350 professionals will be in attendance. Three cash prizes are offered by the Red Sea Fund, to be awarded by two juries. The Project Market’s jury will award $25,000 for development and $100,000 for production and the Films In-Progress jury will grant $30,000 for post-production. Participating projects are also eligible for additional awards. The event will run December 8-11 this year. Below are the selected projects:

Red Sea Souk Films in-Progress Workshop:

Contra by Lotfy Nathan (Tunisia, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Germany)
Fragments From Heaven by Adnane Baraka (Morocco, France, Qatar)
Abdelinho by Hicham Ayouch (Morocco, France)
Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous by Wissam Charaf (France, Lebanon, Italy)
The Cemetery of Cinema by Thierno Souleymane Diallo (Guinea, France, Senegal)

Red Sea Souk Project Market:

Coura + Ouleye by Iman Djionne (Senegal)
Akashinga (Working Title) by Naishe Nyamubaya (Zimbabwe, France, Germany, South Africa)
Passing Dreams by Rashid Masharawi (Palestine, United Kingdom, Sweden)
Zaïria by Machérie Ekwa (Congo)
Carnaval by Mohamed Siam (Egypt, Kuwait, France)
Montreal by Ameen Nayfeh (Jordan)
Birthday by Lara Zeidan (Lebanon, France)
Last Trip by Ziad Kalthoum (Syria, Germany, Poland)
The Seasons of Jannet by Mehdi Hmili (Tunisia)
Carnamal by Ali Kalthami (Saudi Arabia)
Aïcha by Mehdi M. Barsaoui (Tunisia, France)

The Project Market will also present the twelve Red Sea Lodge projects which have been developed throughout the year during intensive workshops, conducted in partnership with the TorinoFilmLab.

The Red Sea Lodge projects are:

Arab World:
The Zarqa Girl by Zaid Abu Hamdan (Jordan)
Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo by Khaled Mansour (Egypt)
The Sea Needs to Heave by Zain Duraie (Jordan)
The Day of Wrath: Tales From Tripoli by Rania Rafei (Lebanon)
Road 250 by Haya Alghanim (Kuwait)
It’s A Sad And Beautiful World by Cyril Aris (Lebanon)

Saudi Arabia:
Fiery Eyes by Abduljalil Alnasser
Hala’s Aziz by Jowaher Alamri
Raoya – The Bookeeper by Mahmoud Zaini
The Photographer of Madina by Dalyah Bakheet
Within Sand by Moe Alatawi
Zeba by Abrar Abdulaziz