Laura Mackie Leaving ‘Unforgotten’ Producer Mainstreet Pictures
Unforgotten producer Mainstreet Pictures is losing its CEO. Laura Mackie, who founded the indie 10 years ago, is stepping away from the industry. CEO Sally Haynes will continue in that role and EP Guy De Glanville has been promoted to MD. ITV Studios-backed Mainstreet is best known for producing six seasons of hit ITV drama Unforgotten. The company also produced the BBC’s Gold Digger during her tenure, which was made into an Italian-language series by Cattleya that was recently the number one non-English show on Netflix. Mackie commissioned Downton Abbey, Endeavour and Broadchurch for ITV during her stint with the network. ITV Studios MD Julian Bellamy said she has “made the most outstanding contribution to the world of TV drama over the years.” Mackie added: “Running Mainstreet with my friend and colleague Sally has been an absolute joy and I can’t wait to see what she and the brilliant Guy de Glanville will produce next. I’ll be their number one viewer.”
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Alternativa Film Awards Names Winners
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The Alternativa Film Project’s latest awards have been handed out in Indonesia. Among the big winners at the Alternativa Film Awards was indie flick Bird of a Different Feather (Mikka Bannada Hakki), directed by Manohara K, which won the Spotlight Award for films highlighting overlooked social issues. Winner of the Future Voice Award was Pham Ngoc Lan’s Vietnamese-language story Cu Li Never Cries (Cu Li Không Bao Gio Khóc), which honours emerging filmmakers first or second features, while the Alter Award for films inspiring social transformation went to Iranian doc feature Grand Me, from Atiye Are Arandi. The Nativa Award, recognizing work that delves into national or cultural identity, went to the Tamil-language The Adamant Girl (Kottukkaali), from India’s Vinothraj PS, and the Shorts Award was presented to Mickey Lai’s Malaysian feature Washhh and Nguyen Duy Anh’s A Cleaning Service (Lau Lai Dau Tu). Each of the full-length category winners won $20,000 each, with the shorts winners claiming $10,000 per film. The Alternativa Film Project, run by InDrive, launched last year as an initiative to support and promote filmmakers from developing film industries and combat injustices. Liza Surganova, Head of Alternativa Film Project, said: “We are proud to celebrate each of the winners of the 2024 Alternativa Film Awards, whose remarkable works embody the transformative power of cinema. These films not only push the boundaries of artistic expression but also shine a light on pressing social issues, sparking conversations that can inspire meaningful change.”
Europa Cinemas Awards Winners Unveiled
The 2024 Europa Cinema Awards were awarded over the weekend in Vilnius, Lithuania. Winning the Best Programming prize was Stockholm cinema Biografen Zita, which was praised for “showing a diversity of European films.” The Best young Audience Activity award went to Skalvija Cinema Centre in Vilnius, which was described as having an “outstanding programme” for younger cinema goers. Stadtkino im Künstlerhaus & Admiral Kino in Vienna took home the Best Enterpreneur prize, the first time it was awarded. The awards ceremony was held during the 23rd Europa Cinemas Networks Conference, which was being held in a Baltic country for the first time. More than 500 delegates attended, including exhibitors, distributors, producers and sales agents. Themes discussed included growth in screenings of classic and repository cinema, more young people shaping cinema programming and appetite for cinema-going returning after the Covid-19 pandemic
PBS Secures BBC Heist Drama ‘The Gold‘
PBS Masterpiece wants a piece of The Gold. Both seasons of the BBC drama series starring Jack Lowden and Hugh Bonneville have sold to the American network, with Season 2 yet to air. The Gold has also been sold by All3Media International to CBC Gem in Canada, Magenta TV/Telekom in Germany and Stan in Australia. Penned by Neil Forsyth and produced by All3Media-backed Tannadice Pictures, The Gold tells the story of a group of six thieves who stumbled upon £26M ($33M) worth of gold bullion in what was one of the most notorious crimes in British history. The second season will launch soon and explores what happened to the other half of the gold that wasn’t initially found by police. Susanne Simpson, Masterpiece’s Head of Scripted Content and Executive Producer, said: “Masterpiece is thrilled to be bringing Neil Forsyth’s exceptional storytelling to our viewers with seasons one and two of The Gold.“
Nordisk Film Production Builds Team
Nordisk Film Production has hired series producer Lejla Bešić for its Swedish office. This closely follows the appointment of Helena Danielsson and Deborah Bayer Marlow to Nordisk’s Denmark office, bringing the total of producers across the Nordic business to 22. Bešić will join the new Swedish office in January. She is known for producing upcoming Netflix series The Breakthrough and is in post-production on SVT drama Stenbeck. She has also made shows for the likes of Discovery and Viaplay. “Her talent, experience and expertise will help us build our new Swedish production office and achieve our goals on the series side,” said Johanna Bergenstråhle and Marike Muselaers, Co-Managing Directors of Nordisk Film Production Sweden. “We are thrilled to be able to hire this producer star and can hardly wait for Lejla Bešić to join our forces.” Nordisk Film Production, the film and series production arm of the Nordic entertainment company Nordisk Film, is known for making the likes of upcoming Christmas movie Super-Charlie, Danish Oscar entry The Girl with the Needle and Off the Record.