Sahraa Karimi To Head Stockholm FF Jury; Former ViacomCBS Execs Launch Company; BBC & Sky Extend Deal; Tokyo FF Spotlight – Global Briefs

Sahraa Karimi To Head Stockholm Jury

Sahraa Karimi, the Afghan filmmaker who hit the headlines last month as she staged a dramatic escape from the Taliban as they took over her home city of Kabul, will head the jury at this year’s Stockholm International Film Festival. She will also participate in a panel that aims to raise awareness about the threat towards artists and women in Afghanistan today. Karimi and her jury will oversee the awarding of prizes including the Bronze Horse for Best Film. “Cinema is a window to the identity and at the same time the stories of the people of a nation. I’m happy that Stockholm International Film Festival – with its long history of supporting director’s in countries where basic human rights are not respected – makes this statement public and is willing to support Afghan filmmakers in the fight of not being forgotten in the history of cinema,” said Sahraa Karimi. “We stand behind brave filmmakers like Sahraa Karimi and will use our platform to share her message about the crisis in Afghanistan. We are honored that Sahraa Karimi has accepted our invitation as the Head of Jury of the Stockholm XXXII Competition,” added Git Scheynius, Festival Director.

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ViacomCBS Execs Launch Factual Outfit

Former ViacomCBS International senior execs Claire McArdle and Rebecca Knight have teamed up to launch Collective Media Group, a production company focusing on premium factual output with a specialism in sports. The outfit will make content from high-end factual series, to popular entertainment and podcasting. The duo said they already have a slate of Latin American content out to market, and are working with sports rights holders including golf’s Legends Tour. “There is a huge opportunity in today’s landscape for talent and access-driven content and we are fortunate to have access to some outstanding stories from across the world. Whilst sport-related stories will be the beating heart of Collective Media Group, we recognise the huge potential in the wider marketplace. Our aim is to convert our deep talent and access relationships into meaningful and long-lasting IP that can be exploited across multiple platforms,” said McArdle.

BBC & Sky Renew Deal

The BBC and Sky have renewed their existing partnership that sees the former’s programming and services housed on the Sky platform. New shows plus outlets such as BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds will continue to be available on Sky Q, the latest Sky TV service. The two companies will also continue to team for sports rights including the Women’s Super League and matches from the new cricket format The Hundred. “It’s essential that all audiences get the maximum value from the BBC – and this agreement will ensure millions of Sky customers around the UK have access to the diverse rich mix of programming across the BBC – whether that’s our live TV channels and radio networks or millions of hours of programming available when you want on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds,” said Tim Davie, BBC Director-General.

Tokyo FF To Spotlight Yoshida Keisuke

This year’s Tokyo International Film Festival will highlight the work of director Yoshida Keisuke. Keisuke’s latest work, Intolerance, opens in Japan on September 23. The film is his second release of the year after Blue. His previous credits include Himeanole (2016), which will also screen at the festival.