International
Katie Holmes to be part of ‘The Giver’
Mumbai: Katie Holmes has finalised a deal to be a part of ‘The Giver’, a drama from the Weinstein Company and Walden Media. The movie is directed by Phillip Noyce.
Brenton Thwaites plays the lead role in the movie that talks about a world where there is no sickness, racism or conflict.
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Thwaites plays the role of a young boy who is selected for his life service as Receiver of Memories with ‘The giver’ (Jeff Bridges) who is an old man teaching the boy to use his unique gifts of the senses.
Meryl Streep plays the society’s chief elder, an authoritarian woman who assigns young kids tasks to do. Holmes will be playing the mother of Thwaites. Her role is that of a strict obeyer of the rules of the society that can be named as an antiseptic society.
Michael Mitnick has scripted the adaptation and will be shot in South Africa.
The movie is eying a budget of around $25 million.
International
Council of Europe to unveil new TV and streaming co-production convention
Series Mania Forum to host landmark signing to boost global TV collaboration
LILLE: The small screen is getting a big policy push. At this year’s Series Mania Forum in Lille, Alain Berset will take centre stage to chair the opening ceremony for a new international convention aimed at reshaping how television and streaming series are co-produced across borders.
Set for March 26 at the Théâtre Marie Curie in Lille Grand Palais, the signing marks the debut of the first legal framework dedicated specifically to the independent co-production of series. In an industry where stories travel faster than ever, the move aims to make collaboration smoother, fairer and more transparent.
Backed by the Council of Europe, the convention is designed to strengthen cultural ties, give independent producers a firmer footing, and bring greater clarity to deals in a rapidly evolving content landscape. With streaming platforms fuelling a surge in global storytelling, the timing feels deliberate.
Council of Europe secretary general Alain Berset, underscored the cultural heft of series today, noting how they carry voices and viewpoints across borders. He called on member states and countries beyond Europe to sign on, framing the initiative as a way to turn culture into a tool for cooperation and democratic exchange.
For Series Mania founder and general director Laurence Herszberg, hosting the signing is both symbolic and strategic. She described the convention as a step that could widen the range of stories reaching audiences, staying true to the forum’s long-standing mission of championing diverse storytelling.
The ceremony will unfold alongside the Lille Dialogues, a high-level summit that gathers policymakers and industry leaders to debate the future of Europe’s audiovisual sector. Berset is also set to deliver the opening address there, adding political weight to a week already rich in creative ambition.
In short, as screens multiply and borders blur, Europe is putting a framework in place to ensure that storytelling keeps pace, collaboratively and coherently.
