In today’s Global Bulletin, Warner Bros. announced the Jan. 7 theatrical release for “Operation Mincemeat”; Nigerian Oscar submission “The Milkmaid” to headline BFI African Odyssey; Sovereign Film Distribution picks up Spanish thriller “The Offering”; BBC Music documents Glastonbury presents Live at Worthy Farm; and “Friends: The Reunion” heads to Zee5 in India.
PREMIERE
John Madden’s Colin Firth and Kelly Macdonald-starring WWII drama “Operation Mincemeat” will release in the U.K. and Ireland on Jan. 7, 2022, just in time for awards season, as reported by Deadline. Warner Bros. is distributing in most of Europe, including the U.K. and Ireland, with Netflix taking North American and Latin American rights in a $15M deal struck in March. Possible theatrical plans or a platform release date have not yet been announced by the streamer for those territories.
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“Operation Mincemeat” is the film adaptation of Ben McIntyre’s novel, adapted by screenwriter Michelle Ashford. It tells the true story of an Allied mission in Northern Italy, when British forces successfully disguised the body of a recently-deceased homeless man as a Royal Marine officer and placed falsified documents on the corpse. Famously, “James Bond” creator Ian Fleming, a Lieutenant Commander at the time, was involved in the plan’s conception.
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Matthew Macfadyen, Penelope Wilton, Johnny Flynn and Jason Isaacs all co-star in the drama, produced by Charles S. Cohen, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Kris Thykier, with See-Saw COO Simon Gillis as executive producer.
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“The Milkmaid” made history as Nigeria’s first-ever Academy Award Best International Feature Film qualifying submission this year, and now British audiences will be able to see the movie on the big screen as BFI Southbank has picked up the film as part of its BFI African Odysseys program. In addition to hosting the film’s European premiere, Southbank will host director Desmond Ovbiagele and executive producer Oluseun Sowemimo for a Q&A after the screening.
“The Milkmaid” is a careful look at religious extremism which is overtaking the African continent, and the real-life consequences of its dissemination. The film tells the story of sisters Aisha and Zainab, who were kidnapped from their village on the latter’s wedding day, and their divergent struggles for survival thereafter.
ACQUISITION
London-based Sovereign Film Distribution has acquired U.K. and Ireland rights to Spanish drama “The Offering” (“L’ofrena”) from decorated Catalan director Ventura Durall. “The Offering” stars Alex Brendemühl, Verónica Echegui – who nabbed a best supporting actress win at the Catalan Academy Gaudi Awards for her performance, Anna Alarcón, Pablo Molinero and Claudia Riera, and was nominated for three other prizes at the Gaudi’s, including Best Female Lead, Best Male Lead and Best Film. A story of obsession, “The Offering” turns on a man unwilling to let go of a lost love from 20 years ago and his disturbing plan to win her back.
FESTIVAL
BBC Music has secured exclusive rights to footage shot at this year’s Glastonbury presents Live at Worthy Farm and has commissioned a behind-the-scenes feature film to be produced from recordings at last week’s concert. BBC will broadcast a director’s cut of the event’s stream, which premiere online over the weekend. The network will also offer an opportunity to revisit highlights from the stream on TV, Radio and its online platforms from June 25-27 as part of the Glastonbury Experience 2021, when BBC Two will also air an hour-long behind-the-scenes documentary from the event hosted by BBC Radio 2 presenter Jo Whiley during.
STREAMING
India’s Zee5, the country’s fastest-growing local streaming platform, will host the HBO Max “Friends: The Reunion” special exclusively on May 27, the one-year anniversary of the original series landing on the WarnerMedia-owned platform. Zee5 is operated by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), the country’s largest media conglomerate. The platform hosts more than 120 original programs and represents 12 language groups through all kinds of programming.
