PRODUCING
“The Crown” actor Derek Jacobi has boarded David Bartlett’s short film “Mousie” as executive producer, Variety can exclusively reveal. The film, which is produced by Will Poole (“Waffle the Wonder Dog”), tells the story of a seven-year-old Roma girl who seeks sanctuary from the Nazis in a decaying Weimar Cabaret Club.
“’Mousie’ is such a beautiful film – original, heartbreaking, yet also uplifting,” says Jacobi, who played the Duke of Windsor in Netflix’s royal series. “It is so relevant and provocative too. Amid really atmospheric cinematography and art direction, David Bartlett’s exquisite direction has delivered the most arresting performances, led by a remarkable young child. ‘Mousie’ is unmissable.”
Writer and director Bartlett began his career at the BBC where he worked on dramatizations including “The Great Train Robbery” and “The Hitler Diaries.” “Mousie,” which is eligible for Academy Award consideration, has screened at the Dublin International Film Festival, the Miami Jewish Film Festival and the Woods Hole Film Festival where it received the Best Youth Performance Award.
It has also garnered a number of celebrity fans, including “Cruella” star Emma Thompson, who says of the film: “’Mousie’ is a powerful and timely reminder that without constant vigilance it is all too easy for us to repeat the horrors of the past. Children here in the U.K. and all round the world are suffering in ways that echo the worst cruelties in human history. Let us be aware and do as much as we can to help them. The fine quality of the film-making is in perfect balance with the urgency of its message. What a fantastic piece of art.” – K.J. Yossman
APPOINTMENT
BBC Studios has revealed that Chris Clenshaw will be the new executive producer for long running BBC soap “EastEnders. Jon Sen, who oversaw the show for the last three years, will now lead continuing BBC drama stablemate “Casualty” from December. Sen will also develop two new high-end drama projects for BBC Studios.
Clenshaw, who has produced BBC drama “Holby City,” previously worked on “EastEnders” for four years in various capacities. He was most recently working in development at Vertigo Films and Rope Ladder Fiction and as a co-producer for ScreenSkills High-end TV Skills Fund.
BBC Studios’ head of continuing drama, Kate Oates, will oversee executive producer duties at Elstree studios on the show until Clenshaw joins “EastEnders” in Jan. 2022.
PARTNERSHIP
Vuulr, the online content marketplace for film and T.V. rights that connects buyers and distributors worldwide, has entered a partnership with enterprise video delivery platform Brightcove to power Vuulr’s Branded Screening Rooms on the marketplace. Buyers on the Vuulr marketplace will have access to enhanced video experiences from via Brightcove’s video technology. Rights holders will also benefit from Brightcove’s security for all of their screeners.
FELLOWSHIP
Doc Society has unveiled the recipients of its New Perspectives fellowship, directors Jason Fitzroy Jeffers (“Bimshire”), Sasha Wortzel (“River of Grass”), Eddie Martinez (“The Monster and the Storm”) and Set Hernandez Rongkilyo (“Unseen”). The two-year fellowship, which is in partnership with Perspective Fund, aims to empower filmmakers from underrepresented communities. Over the past three years the New Perspectives fund has granted over $350,000 (non-recoupable) to 17 projects. – K.J. Yossman
STREAMING
Telugu-language thriller “Drushyam 2,” the sequel to the hit 2014 film “Drushyam,” will stream on Amazon Prime Video from Nov. 25. It features Venkatesh Daggubati, Meena, Nadhiya, Naresh, Kruthika and Esther Anil reprising their roles, with Sampath Raj and Poorna playing new characters. Directed by Jeethu Joseph and produced by D. Suresh Babu, Rajkumar Sethupathy and Antony Perumbavoor of Suresh Productions, Rajkumar Theatres and Max Movies, the film is based on Joseph’s Malayalam-language “Drishyam” (2013), which has spawned remakes in the Telugu, Kannada and Hindi languages.