European giant Beta Film, known for ambitious titles such as “Babylon Berlin” and “The Swarm,” has shared with Variety in exclusivity a first-look picture of 1o-part series “Rise of the Raven,” which it hails as “one of the most epic European TV productions of all time.”
“Rise of the Raven” weighs in as a passion project of Hungarian-born and Canada-based producer Robert Lantos, behind “Sunshine,” “The Sweet Hereafter,” “Barney’s Version,” “Eastern Promises” and “Crimes of the Future.”
A highlight at Beta Film’s showcase this Tuesday at the London TV Screenings, “Rise of the Raven” turns on the extraordinary feat of Hungarian army commander Janos Hunyadi, played by discovery Gellért L. Kádár, who in 1456 won a bloody, brutal Battle of Belgrade against a vast Ottoman force twice the size of his troops who were often farm labourers armed with just slings and patriotic fervor.
Hunyadi largely halted a full Ottoman...
“Rise of the Raven” weighs in as a passion project of Hungarian-born and Canada-based producer Robert Lantos, behind “Sunshine,” “The Sweet Hereafter,” “Barney’s Version,” “Eastern Promises” and “Crimes of the Future.”
A highlight at Beta Film’s showcase this Tuesday at the London TV Screenings, “Rise of the Raven” turns on the extraordinary feat of Hungarian army commander Janos Hunyadi, played by discovery Gellért L. Kádár, who in 1456 won a bloody, brutal Battle of Belgrade against a vast Ottoman force twice the size of his troops who were often farm labourers armed with just slings and patriotic fervor.
Hunyadi largely halted a full Ottoman...
- 2/27/2024
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Austria’s Orf Joins Big Budget Central Europe Drama Series ‘Rise Of The Raven’
The shoot for big-budget Central European drama Rise of the Raven (working title) is underway near Budapest in Hungary, with Austrian pubcaster Orf the latest to join the series as a co-producer. Produced by Robert Lantos, the multi-million dollar series is being billed as “the most epic Central European television production of all time.” It stars Hungary’s Gellért L. Kádár as Janos Hunyadi, the army commander who defeated the vast Ottoman troops in the Battle of Belgrade in 1456. Vivien Rujder plays his life partner Elizabeth Szilagyi in a widely international cast. Also featuring are Austria’s Laurence Rupp (Babarians), Cornelius Obonya (Maria Theresa), Murathan Muslu (Breaking Point), Czech actor Karel Roden, Serbia’s Rade Serbedzija and Italian actors Italy’s Francesco Acquaroli, Thomas Trabacchi (Studio Battaglia) and Elena Rusconi (6 Underground). Balázs Lengyel (HBO’s Golden Life) is showrunner and writer along with George Mihalka, Balázs Lovas, Zsófia Ruttkay, Attila Veres, and Bán Mór, whose best-selling series of novels the series is based on. Serendipity Point Films, Twin Media, Hg Media, Mr Film and Beta, which distributes the show, are the co-producers. TV2 will air it in Hungary and Slovenia, with Orf broadcasting it in neighboring Austria.
Germany’s Sat.1 Remakes Italian Format ‘Back To School’
German broadcaster Sat.1 has remade Mediaset Distribution’s Italian format Back to School. Local producer Cheerio Entertainment has produced the German show, titled Zurück in die Schule, ahead of a debut on August 24. German presenter Jörg Pilawa will host the primetime entertainment show. Back to School sees four celebrities face real elementary school exams, one they have prepared for during a summer camp with students taking on the role of no-nonsense teachers and another ‘surprise’ subject. Mediaset Group’s distribution arm launched the format at MipTV after it debuted in Italy on Italia 1 and secured an above average share. “Everyone likes the idea of mini-teachers having to do with celebrities in an entertaining reversion of roles. After lockdown and sad things continuing to happen, a show that reunites family and target groups of all ages for a good moment of relax and fun. I guess we really need it,” said Claudia Marra, who handles the format rights for Mediaset Distribution.
The shoot for big-budget Central European drama Rise of the Raven (working title) is underway near Budapest in Hungary, with Austrian pubcaster Orf the latest to join the series as a co-producer. Produced by Robert Lantos, the multi-million dollar series is being billed as “the most epic Central European television production of all time.” It stars Hungary’s Gellért L. Kádár as Janos Hunyadi, the army commander who defeated the vast Ottoman troops in the Battle of Belgrade in 1456. Vivien Rujder plays his life partner Elizabeth Szilagyi in a widely international cast. Also featuring are Austria’s Laurence Rupp (Babarians), Cornelius Obonya (Maria Theresa), Murathan Muslu (Breaking Point), Czech actor Karel Roden, Serbia’s Rade Serbedzija and Italian actors Italy’s Francesco Acquaroli, Thomas Trabacchi (Studio Battaglia) and Elena Rusconi (6 Underground). Balázs Lengyel (HBO’s Golden Life) is showrunner and writer along with George Mihalka, Balázs Lovas, Zsófia Ruttkay, Attila Veres, and Bán Mór, whose best-selling series of novels the series is based on. Serendipity Point Films, Twin Media, Hg Media, Mr Film and Beta, which distributes the show, are the co-producers. TV2 will air it in Hungary and Slovenia, with Orf broadcasting it in neighboring Austria.
Germany’s Sat.1 Remakes Italian Format ‘Back To School’
German broadcaster Sat.1 has remade Mediaset Distribution’s Italian format Back to School. Local producer Cheerio Entertainment has produced the German show, titled Zurück in die Schule, ahead of a debut on August 24. German presenter Jörg Pilawa will host the primetime entertainment show. Back to School sees four celebrities face real elementary school exams, one they have prepared for during a summer camp with students taking on the role of no-nonsense teachers and another ‘surprise’ subject. Mediaset Group’s distribution arm launched the format at MipTV after it debuted in Italy on Italia 1 and secured an above average share. “Everyone likes the idea of mini-teachers having to do with celebrities in an entertaining reversion of roles. After lockdown and sad things continuing to happen, a show that reunites family and target groups of all ages for a good moment of relax and fun. I guess we really need it,” said Claudia Marra, who handles the format rights for Mediaset Distribution.
- 8/9/2022
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Principal photography is underway near Budapest on “Rise of the Raven,” an epic drama series produced by veteran Canadian producer Robert Lantos’ Serendipity Point Films (“Crimes of the Future”) and Beta Film (“Gomorrah”) that marks the most lavish TV production in Hungary’s history.
Adapted from author Bán Mór’s bestselling novels, the 10-episode series tells the story of the Hungarian warrior Janos Hunyadi, who defeated the Ottoman army in 1456 at the Battle of Belgrade, halting its march across Europe.
Lantos, whose producing credits include “The Sweet Hereafter,” “Johnny Mnemonic” and “Eastern Promises,” spoke exclusively with Variety about a passion project more than a decade in the making. He was joined by Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning director Robert Dornhelm and Hungarian directors Attila Szász and Orsi Nagypal, who joined the conversation fresh off shooting an epic battle sequence outside Budapest.
The Hungarian-born Lantos, who was in Cannes this year with David Cronenberg...
Adapted from author Bán Mór’s bestselling novels, the 10-episode series tells the story of the Hungarian warrior Janos Hunyadi, who defeated the Ottoman army in 1456 at the Battle of Belgrade, halting its march across Europe.
Lantos, whose producing credits include “The Sweet Hereafter,” “Johnny Mnemonic” and “Eastern Promises,” spoke exclusively with Variety about a passion project more than a decade in the making. He was joined by Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning director Robert Dornhelm and Hungarian directors Attila Szász and Orsi Nagypal, who joined the conversation fresh off shooting an epic battle sequence outside Budapest.
The Hungarian-born Lantos, who was in Cannes this year with David Cronenberg...
- 8/9/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Newen Connect, the distribution arm of the TF1-owned group Newen Group, has boarded “Balaton Brigade,” a prestige historical spy thriller series directed by Ildikó Enyedi, the Oscar-nominated Hungarian director of “On Body and Soul” and “The Story of My Wife” which competed at Cannes.
Created by Gábor Krigler (“Terapia”), Balázs Lengvel (“Thos Janos”) and Balázs Lovas, the eight-part series was previously pitched at the Berlinale Series Market and was selected to be presented at Series Mania’s CoPro Pitching Sessions as part of the partnership between the two industry events. The show, which is produced by Joyrider and Film Force, and co-produced by Martin Heisler at Flare Entertainment in Germany, garnered strong buzz at the Berlinale and sparked the interest of more than 50 companies.
“Balaton Brigade” is set in 1986, amid the Cold War, during a long hot summer in a seemingly idyllic Hungarian summer resort. Located by the Balaton Lake,...
Created by Gábor Krigler (“Terapia”), Balázs Lengvel (“Thos Janos”) and Balázs Lovas, the eight-part series was previously pitched at the Berlinale Series Market and was selected to be presented at Series Mania’s CoPro Pitching Sessions as part of the partnership between the two industry events. The show, which is produced by Joyrider and Film Force, and co-produced by Martin Heisler at Flare Entertainment in Germany, garnered strong buzz at the Berlinale and sparked the interest of more than 50 companies.
“Balaton Brigade” is set in 1986, amid the Cold War, during a long hot summer in a seemingly idyllic Hungarian summer resort. Located by the Balaton Lake,...
- 8/29/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Robert Lantos’ Serendipity Point Films (“Crimes Of The Future”) and Beta Film are joining forces on “Rise of the Raven” (working title), a big-budget epic drama series about Janos Hunyadi, a fearless warrior who defeated the vast Ottoman army and defended Europe in 1456 at the Battle of Belgrade.
Based on Bán Mór’s bestselling novels, the 10-hour series will be showrun by award-winning director George Mihalka who will also direct the final three episodes. Mihalka’s drama credits include NBC’s “The Firm,” TNT’s “Transporter: The Series” and Showtime’s “Bullet to Beijing.” He’s also the recipient of the Directors’ Guild of Canada’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Robert Dornhelm, whose most recent TV series include “Vienna Blood” with Matthew Beard and “Maria Theresa,” will direct the first two episodes of “Rise of the Raven.” Dornhelm previously directed Emmy and Oscar-nominated productions such as “Anne Frank: The Whole Story” with Sir Ben Kingsley,...
Based on Bán Mór’s bestselling novels, the 10-hour series will be showrun by award-winning director George Mihalka who will also direct the final three episodes. Mihalka’s drama credits include NBC’s “The Firm,” TNT’s “Transporter: The Series” and Showtime’s “Bullet to Beijing.” He’s also the recipient of the Directors’ Guild of Canada’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Robert Dornhelm, whose most recent TV series include “Vienna Blood” with Matthew Beard and “Maria Theresa,” will direct the first two episodes of “Rise of the Raven.” Dornhelm previously directed Emmy and Oscar-nominated productions such as “Anne Frank: The Whole Story” with Sir Ben Kingsley,...
- 7/16/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
For the first time ever, two Hungarian films are competing for the Berlinale’s Golden Bear: “Forest – I See You Everywhere,” a standalone sequel to the 2003 Berlinale hit “Forest,” from veteran auteur Bence Fliegauf, and “Natural Light” from feature debutant Dénes Nagy. Csaba Káel, chairman of the National Film Institute of Hungary (Nfi), says, “I believe it demonstrates the vitality and strength of the Hungarian industry flourishing despite the unprecedented circumstances caused by the pandemic worldwide.”
The two films represent opposite poles of current Hungarian filmmaking. Brimming with discourse, the independently funded “Forest” tells multiple complex, engaging stories of contemporary life in Hungary. And as he did in his Berlinale-winner “Just the Wind” (2012), Fliegauf creates deep empathy for his characters who deliver standout performances.
On the other hand, “Natural Light,” with its minimal dialogue, harks back to an older tradition in Hungarian cinema where stunning cinematography leads the other formal elements.
The two films represent opposite poles of current Hungarian filmmaking. Brimming with discourse, the independently funded “Forest” tells multiple complex, engaging stories of contemporary life in Hungary. And as he did in his Berlinale-winner “Just the Wind” (2012), Fliegauf creates deep empathy for his characters who deliver standout performances.
On the other hand, “Natural Light,” with its minimal dialogue, harks back to an older tradition in Hungarian cinema where stunning cinematography leads the other formal elements.
- 3/3/2021
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
Hungarian broadcaster Rtl Klub has boarded “Balaton Brigade,” a Cold War spy drama set on the shores of Hungary’s Lake Balaton in the summer of ’86, Variety has learned exclusively. The series is among the projects that will be pitched this week at the Berlinale Series Market’s Co-Pro Series.
The show follows a secret agent in the elite Stasi unit codenamed the Balaton Brigade, a team tasked with observing East German holidaymakers as they meet their relatives from west of the Iron Curtain on the sun-kissed shores of the “Hungarian Sea.” Forging an uneasy alliance with a local counterpart, he engages in increasingly intense psychological warfare against their target, only to realize that the tables are being turned—even as he hatches his own plot to escape with his family to the West.
“Balaton Brigade” is created by Gábor Krigler, Balázs Lengyel and Balázs Lovas, and directed by Oscar...
The show follows a secret agent in the elite Stasi unit codenamed the Balaton Brigade, a team tasked with observing East German holidaymakers as they meet their relatives from west of the Iron Curtain on the sun-kissed shores of the “Hungarian Sea.” Forging an uneasy alliance with a local counterpart, he engages in increasingly intense psychological warfare against their target, only to realize that the tables are being turned—even as he hatches his own plot to escape with his family to the West.
“Balaton Brigade” is created by Gábor Krigler, Balázs Lengyel and Balázs Lovas, and directed by Oscar...
- 3/1/2021
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
“This is Music,” an anthology TV series to be directed by Wim Wenders, David Byrne, and Norwegian talents Joachim Trier and Julie Andem, is among projects set to be pitched at the upcoming Berlinale Series Market. These Co-Pro Series pitching sessions and meetings run March 2-5.
This TV section of the Berlin Film Festival’s market has been a launchpad for high-profile shows such as “Babylon Berlin,” Norway’s “Valkyries” and Netflix’s “Freud.”
“This is Music” is being produced by Norway’s Oslo Pictures and was created and written by Bjørn Olaf Johannessen who penned the Wenders’ film “Every Thing Will be Fine.” Julie Andem is the creator of hit Norwegian series “Skam.” Trier directed “Louder Than Bombs.” Further details are being kept under wraps.
The 10 selected Berlinale Co-Pro Series projects also comprise promising British series project “58 Seconds” from Jeremy Brock who won screenplay adaptation BAFTA for “The Last King of Scotland...
This TV section of the Berlin Film Festival’s market has been a launchpad for high-profile shows such as “Babylon Berlin,” Norway’s “Valkyries” and Netflix’s “Freud.”
“This is Music” is being produced by Norway’s Oslo Pictures and was created and written by Bjørn Olaf Johannessen who penned the Wenders’ film “Every Thing Will be Fine.” Julie Andem is the creator of hit Norwegian series “Skam.” Trier directed “Louder Than Bombs.” Further details are being kept under wraps.
The 10 selected Berlinale Co-Pro Series projects also comprise promising British series project “58 Seconds” from Jeremy Brock who won screenplay adaptation BAFTA for “The Last King of Scotland...
- 1/26/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Six series will play in the festival with 10 titles in the Market.
A new anthology series titled This Is Music from directors including Wim Wenders and David Byrne is one of 10 international projects selected for the Co-Pro Series section of the Berlinale Co-Production Market 2021 (March 2-5).
The Berlinale Series has also selected six series to play in the online festival, which runs from March 1-5.
Scroll down for full list of Co-Pro Series, Berlinale Series and Series Market Selects titles
Produced by Norway’s Oslo Pictures, anthology series This Is Music is created by Bjørn Olaf Johannessen, who wrote Wenders...
A new anthology series titled This Is Music from directors including Wim Wenders and David Byrne is one of 10 international projects selected for the Co-Pro Series section of the Berlinale Co-Production Market 2021 (March 2-5).
The Berlinale Series has also selected six series to play in the online festival, which runs from March 1-5.
Scroll down for full list of Co-Pro Series, Berlinale Series and Series Market Selects titles
Produced by Norway’s Oslo Pictures, anthology series This Is Music is created by Bjørn Olaf Johannessen, who wrote Wenders...
- 1/26/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
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