March/April 2013 4 World www.breakthroughentertainment.com e distribution@breakthroughentertainment.com (Continued on Page 6) Under new owner Jay Penske, Variety ceased publication of its daily edition last month, and now puts out a weekly print edition on Tuesdays. To save the beleaguered trade, no fewer than three editors-in-chief were named: Claudia Eller, who came over from The Los Angeles Times, plus insiders Cynthia Littleton and Andrew Wallenstein. Former editor Tim Gray moved over to special projects. Variety originated as a New York-based weekly publication in 1905, expanding to a Hollywood-based daily edition in 1933. In 1987 it was purchased by Reed Elsevier. PenskeMedia Corporation (PMC)—which owns publications/blogs likeBGR, Deadline, Hollywood Life, HollyBaby, ENTV, MovieLine, TVLine, and OnCars — acquired Variety from Reed Elsevier in 2012 for a reported $25 million, but it was maintained as a separate profit center outside PMC. Financing was provided by Third Point, a hedge fund founded by investor Daniel S. Loeb. More Changes at Hollywood’s Rag Tereza Polachová (executive producer), Antony Root (executive producer and HBO EVP), Ondrej Zach (SVP of Programming) Presented inPrague, Czech Republic, at the end of January, Burning Bush is the first major local production of HBO Europe. It is a threepart miniseries created for HBO by Polish director Agnieszka Holland that reconstructs the story that has left a deep mark on the Czechoslovak society and, more broadly, in all the countries of Eastern Europe. Burning Bush focuses on the personal sacrifice of Prague history student Jan Palach who in September 1969 set himself on fire in protest against the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia (the so-called “Prague Spring”). Dagmar Burešová, a young female lawyer (played by Tatiana Pauhofová, shown below), became part of his legacy by defending Palach’s family in a trial against the communist government. “To open a line of large-scale production in Europe, we chose a story with universal values of truth, humanity, honor, justice and courage,” said Antony Root, executive vice president of HBO Europe, during a preview presentation to 167 journalists frommanyWestern and Eastern European countries. The Burning Bush press conference took place at Prague’s Lucerna Kino, followed a few days later by the Premier Gala Event, held at Prague’s Slovansky dum and then a reception at Obecni dum. (By Enzo Chiarullo in Prague) HBOEurope’s FirstMajor TVSeries
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI4OTA5