DOCUMENTARY
Liam Gallagher will feature with his sons Lennon and Gene in one-hour Sky special “Liam Gallagher 48 Hours at Rockfield,” where the former Oasis band member heads to the Rockfield Studios in Wales for 48 hours of music and memories. The show is ahead of the release of Gallagher’s new album “C’Mon You Know” and a summer of gigs including a return to Knebworth. Gallagher will perform exclusive tracks from the upcoming album, plus two Oasis classics. In-between the studio sessions Gallagher chats candidly about music, song writing and his upcoming tour.
Gallagher said: “It was great to go back to Rockfield after all these years and see the old firm looking so well. It brought back many memories.”
“Liam Gallagher 48 Hours at Rockfield” was commissioned by Zai Bennett, MD of content for Sky U.K. and Ireland and Phil Edgar-Jones, director of Sky Arts and Entertainment. Shirley Jones is commissioning editor for Sky. The executive producer is Kate Shepherd for Warner Music Entertainment.
The show will be simulcast on Sky Max, Sky Arts and Now at 9pm on May 24.
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FESTIVAL
Saudi Arabian film producer and philanthropist Mohammed Al Turki has been confirmed as CEO of the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation behind the event fest that is spearheading Saudi’s moviemaking ambitions. Al Turki, who has connections to Hollywood and executive produced Richard Gere starrers “Arbitrage,” and more recently “Time Out of Mind,” joined the Red Sea Foundation in 2020 to support the development of Saudi’s nascent film industry and fest in its mission to champion emerging Saudi and Arab talent.
“I am thrilled to be confirmed as CEO of the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation and proud to work with an incredibly talented team as we enter the next phase of our organization,” he said in a statement.
Al Turki’s executive leadership team comprises Shivani Pandya Malhotra who is the event’s managing director; Kaleem Aftab, director of international programming; Antoine Khalife, director of Arab programs and film classics; Samaher Mously, director of marketing; Emad Eskander, head of the fund; and Zain Zedan, Red Sea Souk manager.
The second edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival will run in Jeddah Dec. 1-10. – Nick Vivarelli
CONVENTION
The Royal Television Society‘s, biennial London convention will take place on Sept. 27. Warner Bros. Discovery is the principal sponsor and Priya Dogra, who serves as the company’s president and MD for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (excluding Poland), will chair the convention, titled The Fight for Attention. Other industry leaders who will speak at the event include Tim Davie, director general, BBC; Alex Mahon, CEO, Channel 4; Carolyn McCall, CEO, ITV and Stephen van Rooyen, executive VP and CEO, U.K. and Europe, Sky.
Dogra said: “With more choice than ever before of what to watch and how to watch it, the fight for consumer attention between broadcasters, streamers and other types of entertainment is changing the way we create, compete, and collaborate. Our collective response to this shifting landscape will have a profound impact on the shape of our industry, the stories we tell and the rewards for success over the years to come. This year’s RTS London Convention, which Warner Bros. Discovery is honoured to chair in our first year as a new company, will bring together industry leaders from the U.K. and around the world to examine the implications for consumers, content creators, content distributors, investors, policymakers, and regulators.”
APPOINTMENTS
Romana Ramzan, games industry pioneer, has been appointed the British Film Institute’s Scotland governor, and leading lawyer Anwen Griffiths has been appointed Wales governor. In addition, Robin Saunders, Andrew Smith and Phil Stokes have been reappointed to the board of the BFI governors, which is chaired by Tim Richards. All appointments are for a term of four years from May 9, 2022-May 8, 2026.
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Indian content studio Applause Entertainment has promoted head of content Deepak Segal to chief creative officer and general manager and business head Prasoon Garg to chief business officer, both reporting into CEO Sameer Nair. Segal will now take on a wider role across films, animation and unscripted, while Garg will streamline all business, revenue, acquisitions, commercial, legal and operations functions into a single group and will also actively work on business expansion and diversification.
In addition, Priya Jhavar, the creative director of hit shows like “Scam 1992” and “Avrodh,” is promoted to senior creative director and will help build, mentor and lead new creative groups. And senior marketing manager Devnidhi Bajoria is now head of brand, marketing and client servicing.