Mumbai: MIPCOM 2012 at Cannes saw the crossover of a couple of big names from films to television. Iconic independent film producer/distributor Harvey Weinstein and Oscar-winning writer/director Jane Campion made their debt appearance at the annual event announcing their foray into television.

Attending his first MIPCOM, Weinstein unveiled The Weinstein Company‘s plans to expand in television production and distribution with the likes of epic drama series ‘Marco Polo,‘ reality series ‘Supermarket Superstars‘ and documentary series ‘Seal Team Six.‘ And he chose MIPCOM to unveil a new initiative - the World Dance Awards - a live TV show conceived by dancing wizard Michael Flatley.

Like Weinstein, Campion is more used to attending the Cannes Film Festival. So 2012 was her debut appearance at MIPCOM to discuss her first foray into television via drama series ‘Top of the Lake‘, starring Elisabeth Moss, Peter Mullan and Holly Hunter.

Explaining his strategy, Harvey Weinstein told his audience, "TV is such an exciting area at the moment and movies are shrinking to some extent. So it‘s the right time for us to get into TV in a big way."

Attending MIPCOM to present ‘House of Cards‘ to potential buyers, American actor, director, screenwriter and producer Kevin Spacey noted, "When you look where the most interesting plot lines, storylines and characters are, it‘s in television."

House of Cards is the re-make of the classic 1990 British mini-series. The US version will be set in the backdrop of electoral politics. The British version had explored the merciless underside of British politics at the end of the Thatcher era.

The four-day MIPCOM is the annual global market for entertainment content across all platforms. Every year, the industry‘s international heavy hitters - from TV and film - converge in Cannes to create a new world of entertainment.

Major companies and household names from the film and internet world lined up alongside their television counterparts for one of the biggest MIPCOMs ever. MIPCOM 2012 cemented a coming together of all sectors of the entertainment business.

As many as 12,900 delegates from 104 countries, including 4,400 buyers, negotiated and networked their way throughout MIPCOM 2012. Of those buyers, over 500 were making dedicated VOD (video on demand) acquisitions, according to a statement by MIPCOM.

MUMBAI: Nominations for the 40th International Emmy Awards were announced by the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (Iatas) at a press conference at the television trade event Mipcom in Cannes, France.

There are 38 nominees in nine categories. Winners will receive their Emmys at the 40th International Emmy Awards Gala, on 19 November, in New York City.

Nominations span 15 countries including Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil and China. The 2012 International Emmy competitions have three rounds of judging over a period of 6 months, with participation from jurors across 67 countries.

Iatas president, CEO Bruce L. Paisner said, "At the first International Emmys in 1972, there were only 2 categories: Fiction and Non-Fiction. Today, we have 20 categories presented over 4 different awards ceremonies. We congratulate the 2012 Nominees for their outstanding achievements as their programs and performances enter into television history and look forward to celebrating them at our Festival and 40th anniversary Gala, this November in New York."

In celebration of the International Emmys 40th anniversary, the International Academy will present Special Founders Awards to actor Alan Alda (M*A*S*H ) and Norman Lear (All In The Family ). Both of them had programmes in distribution in 1972, the year of the first International Emmy Awards Gala.

Also, as previously announced, the 2012 International Emmy Founders Award will be presented to producer/writer Ryan Murphy, co-creator and executive producer of Glee while the 2012 International Emmy Directorate Award will be presented to Korean Broadcasting System president, CEO Dr. Kim In-Kyu who is also also Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union president.

The 2012 semi-final judging hosts include Anil Wanvari (Indiantelevision.com), Nashwa Al Ruwaini, Pyramedia (Abu Dhabi, UAE); Andres Badra, Corporacion Medcom (Panama, Panama) and Steven Bawol, Helion Pictures (Paris, France).

The 2012 International Emmy Awards Nominees:

Arts Programming

All My Life - Cartola
TV Globo / Rede Globo
Brazil

BLUE MAN
WOWOW Inc.
Japan

Queen: Days of Our Lives
Eagle Rock Entertainment/Queen Productions Ltd/Globe Films UK

Songs of War
ZDF German Television/ ARTE / A & O B?ro
Germany

Best Performance by an Actor

Arthur Acu?a in The Kitchen Musical
The Group Entertainment
Singapore

Dar?o Grandinetti in Televisi?n por la Inclusi?n
ON TV Contenidos
Argentina

Jason Isaacs in Case Histories
Ruby Film and Television / Monastic Productions
UK

Stein Winge in Norwegian Cozy
Tordenfilm AS/ NRK / NFI / Nordisk Film & TV Fond / YLE
Norway

Zhu Yawen in Flying Eagle
H.Brothers Tianyi Movie & TV Co.,Ltd / Beijing Yechen Film & TV Cultural Development Co., Ltd
PR China

Best Performance by an Actress

Sidse Babett Knudsen in Government
DR
Denmark

Cristina Banegas in Televisi?n por la Inclusi?n
ON TV Contenidos
Argentina

Rina Sa in Zhong Guo Di
Phoenix Satellite TV in association with Sino Television / Liaoning Seven-star Film / Dongyang Tangyun Fenghua Culture Communications
Hong Kong, China

Joanna Vanderham in The Runaway
BSkyB / Company Pictures/ Sky 1
UK

Comedy

Absolutely Fabulous
BBC Productions / Saunders and French Production
UK

The Invisible Woman
TV Globo / Rede Globo
Brazil

Spy
BSkyB / Hat Trick / Sky 1
UK

What if?
Shelter
Belgium

Documentary

Across Land, Across Sea
The Chosunilbo
South Korea

Hitler‘s Escape
Anima Films / The History Channel Latin America
Argentina

Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die
BBC / KEO Films
UK

Wettlauf Zum S?dpol (Race to the South Pole)
Loopfilm GmbH / ZDF
Germany

Drama Series

Braquo
Capa Drama / Canal + / Bad Company / Big Nose
France

ICAC Investigators 2011
RTHK / ICAC
Hong Kong, China

The Kitchen Musical
The Group Entertainment
Singapore

The Slap
Matchbox Pictures / ABC / Screen Australia
Australia

The Social Leader
Artear / Pol-ka
Argentina

Non-Scripted Entertainment

The Amazing Race Australia
Seven Productions-Seven Network (Operations) Ltd. / Active TV / ABC Studios
Australia

The Challenger Muaythai
Imagine Group Pte Ltd / The Group Entertainment
Singapore

El Hormiguero (The Anthill)
7yaccion / Antena 3
Spain

Planeta Extremo (Extreme Planet)
TV Globo
Brazil

Telenovela

The Fire of the Rose
SP Televis?o / SIC
Portugal

Holy Remedy
Plural Entertainment Portugal
Portugal

The Illusionist
TV Globo / Rede Globo
Brazil

Iron Daughters-in-Law
MBC
South Korea

TV Movie/Mini-Series

Black Mirror
Channel Four Television / Zeppotron
UK

Early Autumn
Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting / Shochiku Co. Ltd.
Japan

The Good Men
TV Globo / Rede Globo / Casa de Cinema de POA
Brazil

L‘Infiltr? (The Lying Game)
Breakout Films / Aperto Films / Sirena Film / Canal+
France

MUMBAI: Veria Living Worldwide, a multiplatform media company devoted to showcasing healthy lifestyle and wellness programming, will be offering rights to the formats Fat Family Rescue and Ambush Make Under to international broadcasters for the first time at the ongoing television trade event Mipcom in cannes, france. The announcement was made today in Cannes by Veria Living Worldwide senior VP, head of programme sales.

Veria Living Worldwide represents healthy lifestyle and wellness programming, which connect viewers in a contemporary and accessible manner to the benefits and joys of living a healthy lifestyle.

It has offices in India, London, Middle East, Hong Kong, Dubai, and Africa.

Donahue said, "Both of these original formats were developed by two of the global television community‘s most talented and prolific production entities - Nancy Glass Productions and Banyan Productions. As a result, broadcasters will find these formats provide a built-in magnet to attract key demographic audiences for both daytime and primetime viewing."

The formats, which have already been greenlit as pilots for the Veria Living network in the U.S., include:

• Fat Family Rescue (working title)(one-hour pilot, plus 12 hours) - A heartwarming show which looks to help families plagued by obesity and inactivity by transforming their lives both physically and emotionally. Series is produced by Nancy Glass Productions (A&E‘s Fix This Yard, We TV‘s Staten Island Cakes and DIY‘s Money Hunters).
• Ambush Make Under (working title) (one-hour pilot, plus 12 hours) - This program strips away the excess and reveals the simple, natural beauty inside every woman. Series produced by Banyan Productions (Fox‘s Ambush Makeover, Discovery‘s Home Matters and TLC‘s Trading Spaces).

MUMBAI: Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution is presenting buyers with a programming lineup at this week‘s television trade event Mipcom in Cannes, France. A slate, featuring several brand-new dramas and comedies are being introduced.

The Cold War and the United States‘ relationship with the Soviet Union during the 1980s serves as the backdrop for The Americans, the period drama starring Keri Russell (Felicity), Matthew Rhys (Brothers and Sisters) and Noah Emmerich (Miracle, Warrior). The series delves into the complex marriage of two KGB spies posing as Americans in suburban Washington DC shortly after Ronald Reagan is elected President.

Created by Joe Weisberg, The Americans centers on the arranged marriage of Phillip (Rhys) and Elizabeth Jennings (Russell), who have two children who know nothing about their parents‘ true identity. Their relationship grows more passionate and genuine by the day, but is constantly tested by the escalation of the Cold War and the intimate, dangerous and darkly funny relationships they must maintain with a network of spies and informants under their control.

Complicating their relationship further is Phillip‘s growing sense of affinity for America‘s values and way of life. Tensions also heighten upon the arrival of a new neighbour, Stan (Emmerich), an FBI agent working in counter intelligence.

From Jeff Eastin, the creator of the critically-acclaimed police procedural White Collar, comes Graceland, the ensemble drama that follows a diverse group of FBI, DEA and US Customs agents who are obligated to live together, undercover in a beach house in Southern California.

Newly minted FBI agent Mike Warren (Aaron Tveit, Gossip) is all set to take up a prestigious posting in Washington, D.C. when he discovers he‘s being reassigned to Graceland - a prime piece of beachfront real estate that was seized from drug lords and now serves as an undercover residence for agents who work for various branches of law enforcement.

Mike and his new roommates must all work to solve cases for their respective agencies while also keeping the peace in their own household. Joining him is Senior FBI agent Paul Briggs (Daniel Sunjata, Rescue Me), who has a legendary past but decides to trade his suit and tie for a more zen existence; Catherine "Charlie" Lopez (Vanessa Ferlito, CSI:NY), a strong-willed DEA agent; Dale Jakes (Brandon Jay McLaren, The Killing), a quick-tempered U.S. Customs agent; Joe "Johnny" Tuturro (Manny Montana, The Chicago Code), an FBI agent who is the fun-loving prankster of the house; Lauren Kincaid (Scottie Thompson), a loyal and determined DEA agent who is dealing with the repercussions of her wounded partner; Sam Campbell (Courtney B. Vance), as Quantico Section Chief special agent; and Gerry Silvo (Jay Karnes) as DEA group supervisor.

The dream of becoming parents may finally be coming true for Bryan and David, a successful Beverly Hills couple anxious to become dads on The New Normal, the new comedy from Ryan Murphy.

These days, families come in all forms. Bryan (Andrew Rannells) and David (Justin Bartha) comprise a couple who has it all. Well, almost. With successful careers and a committed, loving partnership, there is one thing that this pair is missing: a baby. And just when they think the stars will never align, enter Goldie (Georgia King), an extraordinary young woman with a checkered past. A Midwestern waitress and single mother looking to escape her dead-end life and small-minded grandmother (Ellen Barkin), Goldie decides to change everything and move to L.A. with her precocious eight-year-old daughter, Shania (Bebe Wood).

Desperate and broke - but also fertile - Goldie quickly becomes the guys‘ surrogate and quite possibly the girl of their dreams. Surrogate mother, surrogate family.

Ben and Kate is a new ensemble comedy that follows a pair of odd-couple siblings and their friends as they push each other out of their comfort zones and into real life.

MUMBAI: DreamWorks Animation has announced that DreamWorks Classics has made its debut at the on-going television trade event Mipcom 2012, in Cannes, bringing to worldwide telecasters a television portfolio highlighted by DreamWorks Dragons: Riders of Berk, which is inspired by the film How to Train Your Dragon, and an all-new television series based on the studio‘s upcoming animated feature film Turbo.

DreamWorks Animation Worldwide Head of Franchise Strategy and Distribution Kelley Avery said, "DreamWorks Classics is now the home of an expansive collection of high-quality properties that will resonate with a worldwide audience, and we are proud to make our Mipcom debut this year, spearheaded by DreamWorks Dragons: Riders of Berk, one of our premiere television series based on our blockbuster film, together with Turbo, one of our most highly-anticipated future franchises."

Classic Media founder, CEO Eric Ellenbogen said, "Over the last four years DreamWorks Animation has proven to be a consistently successful producer of CG animated television content with its three series already in existence. I believe that our longstanding success in the family market combined with DreamWorks Animation‘s unparalleled original content will present many exciting growth opportunities for DreamWorks Classics in the future."

DreamWorks Dragons: Riders of Berk is inspired by the studio‘s popular How to Train Your Dragon franchise, of which the second and third feature film installments are due in theaters on 20 June 2014 and 18 June 2016, respectively.

Also highlighting the DreamWorks Classics portfolio at Mipcom 2012 is the all-new CG animated television series Turbo, based on the upcoming DreamWorks Animation 3D feature film of the same name. The movie tells the story of a garden snail with an impossible dream: to win the Indy 500. When a freak accident gives him extraordinary speed, Turbo sets out to try to make this dream come true. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti and Michael Pena. It will be released in theaters on 19 July 2013.

Two CG animated television series inspired by other DreamWorks Animation film franchises currently air on Nickelodeon. Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness debuted in November of 2011 and Penguins of Madagascar in March 2009. Both programmes air in approximately 140 countries, reaching over 450 million households worldwide. Nickelodeon will also debut a future Monsters vs. Aliens television series.

Beginning with The Croods on 22 March 2013, all films from DreamWorks Animation will be distributed by Fox. Rise of the Guardians, which will be released in theaters on 21 November 2012, will be distributed by Paramount Pictures.

This makes DreamWorks Animation the first major film studio to debut at Mipcom in more than a decade. In addition to the original CG animated television productions from DreamWorks Animation, DreamWorks Classics will represent Classic Media‘s well-known movies, series and specials. The DreamWorks Classics sales team, headed by London-based Chloe Van Den Berg, are at Mipcom along with Avery and Peter Gal, head of Television Development at DreamWorks Animation.

MUMBAI: Independent TV studio, Georgeville Television (GVTV) has announced that it has teamed up with ‘The X-Files‘ creator Chris Carter to finance a new television series ‘The After‘. The series will debut at the television trade event Mipcom which kicks off on Monday 8 October in Cannes, France.

Newly formed Sierra/Engine Television will be representing the project.

Written by Carter, ‘The After‘ is a thriller which revolves around a mysterious, unexplained event. The story incorporates elements of science fiction, suspense, and real-world fear and paranoia which fans of The X-files will appreciate as Carter‘s hallmark.

Georgeville Television CEO Marc Rosen said, "We are thrilled to be working with Chris. This is going to be a fantastic ride - one that only he could conceive - and the secrets, twists, and turns are a fan‘s dream. Chris has woven his mythology magic within a very human, grounded story about the moment when we realize all of our worst fears about the world and its future."

Sierra/Engine Television CEO Chris Philip said, "Chris Carter‘s vision has impacted the global television business for 20 years with The X-Files and being part of his latest big budget project is a tremendous honour".

GVTV is also financing a remake of the cult UK sci-fi series Blake‘s 7 with feature director Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) for SYFY in the US, as well as a recently-announced series debut for the Wachowski‘s ‘The Matrix‘ called ‘Sense8‘.

As previously announced, Sierra/Engine is also handling the international distribution for GVTV‘s projects including the NBC pirate drama ‘Crossbones‘ and ‘Hunters‘, a thriller at ABC - both projects are direct to series orders.