FOUNDATION
Paul Buccieri, president and chair of A+E Networks Group, has joined the board of directors of the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Under Buccieri’s leadership, A+E Networks has been recognized for its philanthropic commitment including diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and support for heart health awareness, veterans and military families, education outreach and mentorship.
David Furnish, chair of the Foundation, said: “Raising awareness of the ongoing global AIDS epidemic, and the means to protect yourself, as well as the barriers to ending the disease are absolutely critical to our work at the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Paul’s deep experience and understanding of messaging and the global media ecosystem at the highest level is a tremendous asset to our board. Elton and my fellow board members are delighted he has joined us at such a critical time for the Foundation. We deeply value both his professional expertise and longtime understanding of, and compassion for, those who are vulnerable and in need of support.”
Buccieri added: “I have long admired Elton’s unparalleled dedication to equality and human dignity, and I am honored to join Elton, David, Anne [Foundation CEO Anne Aslett] and the entire board of the Elton John AIDS Foundation to help further their life-saving work. The Foundation has an unwavering commitment to ending the AIDS epidemic and supporting communities in need, and I look forward to contributing to their vital mission.”
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INDIAN STREAMING
“Bloody Daddy” will become the first Indian film to get a direct-to streaming debut on billionaire Mukesh Ambani‘s JioCinema, when it streams for free on June 9. Produced by Jyoti Deshpande, Sunir Kheterpal, Gaurav Bose, Himanshu Kishan Mehra and Ali Abbas Zafar, and directed by Zafar, the film stars Shahid Kapoor alongside Diana Penty, Sanjay Kapoor, Ronit Roy and Rajeev Khandelwal in pivotal roles.
A remake of 2011 French film “Sleepless Night,” previously remade in India as the Tamil-language “Thoongaa Vanam,” starring Kamal Haasan, “Bloody Daddy” follows Sumair (Kapoor) as he faces off against white-collar drug lords, deceitful friends, a ruthless crime boss, murderous narcs, and both corrupt and honest cops – all during one night.
The film is a Jio Studios, AAZ Films & Offside Entertainment production in association with Vermilion World and written by Zafar and Aditya Basu.
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Meanwhile, previously announced Disney+ Hotstar series “School of Lies,” produced by BBC Studios and created by “Human” writer Ishani Banerjee and “Paatal Lok” director Avinash Arun Dhaware will stream from June 2. The series is a drama thriller set in the fictional Dalton Town, surrounded by hills, where a 12-year-old boy goes missing from a private boarding school, and the subsequent domino effect it causes. The cast includes Nimrat Kaur, Aamir Bashir, Geetika Vidya Ohlyan, Sonali Kulkarni, Jitendra Joshi, Vir Pachisia, Shakti Anand, Mohan Kapur, Varin Roopani, Divyansh Dwivedi, Aryan Singh Ahlawat, Hemant Kher, Parthiv Shetty, Adrija Sinha and Aalekh Kapoor.
AWARD
French actor Julia de Nunez will receive the International Golden Nymph for most promising talent at he 62nd edition of the Monte-Carlo Television Festival at its opening ceremony on June 16. The actor starred most recently as Brigitte Bardot in “Bardot,” a television series written and directed by Danièle and Christopher Thompson in 2023. Produced by Judith Rochelois and Pascal Breton, the series has been pre-sold worldwide by French producer and distributor, Federation.
