Day: April 16, 2022

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Proxima Studios de Ryan Kavanaugh anuncia início da produção de Skill House estrelado por Bryce Hall, dirigido e escrito por Josh Stolberg – roteirista de Jigsaw e Espiral – da franquia O Legado de Jogos Mortais

Primeiro filme do gênero a ser “listado” na bolsa de valores de entretenimento, permitindo que os fãs participem e invistam no filme em ESX.io

LOS ANGELES, April 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Com base em uma ideia original de Ryan Kavanaugh, megaprodutor nomeado EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar e Tony), Skill House é o primeiro de uma franquia cuja produção principal deve ter início em junho de 2022 e sua estreia para o início de 2023. O projeto é financiado e controlado pela Proxima Studios, escrito e dirigido pela lenda do filme de terror Josh Stolberg, corroterista de filmes de terror como o Espiral: O Legado de Jogos Mortais (estrelado por Chris Rock e Samuel L. Jackson),Jigsaw, Piranha 3D, Pacto Secreto, bem como o próximo filme Saw (intitulado provisoriamente Saw X) e estrelado pelo fenômeno de redes sociais Bryce Hall, uma das estrelas de redes sociais mais seguidas do mundo com mais de 50 milhões de seguidores nos seus canais.

Skill House será o primeiro filme a ser “listado” na bolsa de valores de entretenimento (“ESX“), uma plataforma inédita que permite aos usuários investir no filme e negociar dentro ou fora do filme e na alta.

Com a personalidade de redes sociais Bryce Hall, Skill House age como influenciadores de redes sociais com uma visão inabalável da fama e do que as novas celebridades estão dispostas a fazer para alcançá-la. O filme será filmado na Sway House, uma mansão em Bel Air, famosa por muitas das maiores estrelas do Tik Tok. Ele vai aproveitar o cenário dos jovens celebridades que fazem qualquer coisa por um “clique”.

“Trabalhei com algumas das maiores estrelas de Hollywood, incluindo Chris Rock e Sam Jackson, Carrie Fisher e Dwayne Johnson… mas meus filhos estão mais empolgados com este projeto do que qualquer outro que trabalhei”, disse Stolberg. O trabalho com Bryce Hall e Ryan Kavanaugh certamente será o primeiro de um novo gênero de terror. Essas personalidades das redes sociais são a nova Hollywood e estão reinventando o que significa ser uma estrela. Quando um jovem de Maryland, como Bryce, com somente um celular e um foco de luz, pode atrair dezenas de milhões de seguidores no Tik Tok e no Instagram, ele facilita a vida para todos nós. Mas há um lado negro nesse novo cenário do entretenimento, e estou muito feliz em mostrar isso.”

“O filme será um “Hard R” de terror com uma abordagem corajosa do que é necessário para se ter sucesso em um negócio que depende de fãs que “gostem de você “. Stolberg acrescentou: “Não há nada que eu ame mais do que escrever uma cena de morte no corredor do escritório… e já gastamos mais sangue do que pretendíamos usar. Embora esse conceito possa funcionar como paródia, vou adotar uma abordagem mais séria e usar mais sustos e horror do que o humor. Eu vou dar o meu melhor. Recebi luz verde para ir em frente. E estou mais do que pronto!”

Kavanaugh, o 24º produtor de maior bilheteria de todos os tempos, produziu e/ou financiou mais de 200 filmes como Velozes e Furiosos 3,4,5,6, A Rede Social, 300, Mamma Mia!, Sem Limites, Fighter, Zumbilândia e muitos mais. Kavanaugh também já foi dono da Rogue Pictures, que lançou mais de 60 filmes de terror, incluindo Os Estranhos, Alma Perdida e A Sétima Alma.

“Este filme quebra as fronteiras entre o fenômeno das redes sociais curtas e o conteúdo de longa duração”, disse Kavanaugh. “Bryce é um dos influenciadores mais reconhecidos e polarizadores com mais de 50 milhões de seguidores e certamente será uma estrela crossover. O filme se aprofunda na psiquê humana e na sede de estrelato da nova geração, questionando até onde eles irão? Ele será sangrento, sombrio e, certamente, muito comentado.”

Daniel Herther, que supervisiona a produção e o desenvolvimento criativo da Proxima Studios, será o produtor executivo. Antes de entrar para a Proxima Studios, Herther produziu o thriller de Nic Cage Desejo Inconcebível e ocupou cargos executivos na Relativity Media e no Hollywood Gang da WB (300).

Esta será a primeira vez que os fãs poderão realmente investir em um longa-metragem e participar do lado positivo do filme via ESX.

Bryce Hall é representado por Brad Baskin da Panther Management e Ryan Kavanaugh e Proxima Studios são representados por Neil Sacker.

Sobre Proxima e Ryan Kavanaugh

Fundador da Proxima Media, cofundador da Triller, Ryan Kavanaugh é um dos executivos mais bem-sucedidos, prolíficos e honrados da história da indústria do entretenimento. Usando um modelo financeiro inteligente de finanças cinematográficas, ele foi apelidado de criador do “Bola de dinheiro dos filmes”. Ele produziu, distribuiu e/ou estruturou financiamentos para mais de 200 filmes, gerando mais de US $ 20 bilhões em receitas de bilheteria e tem 60 indicações ao Oscar. Ele é o 25º produtor cinematográfico de maior bilheteria de todos os tempos. Suas produções incluem Velozes e Furiosos 3-6, 300, A Rede Social, Sem Limites, Fighter, Ricky Bobby; A Toda Velocidade, Quase Irmãos, e Mamma Mia! Kavanaugh e Proxima Studios foram pioneiros em uma transação financeira inovadora para a Marvel pós-falência, criando o estúdio e a estrutura financeira que levaram a Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ele criou a categoria SVOD (streaming) com a Netflix, que aumentou a capitalização de mercado da empresa de US $ 2 para US $ 10 bilhões. Kavanaugh é o cofundador da Triller, um dos três aplicativos de rede social de crescimento mais rápido. Recentemente ele liderou a aquisição, fusão e relançamento do aplicativo de redes sociais e música.

Ele também criou a poderosa empresa de televisão, agora conhecida como Critical Content, produzindo programas de sucesso como Catfish na MTV e Limitless na CBS, que ele vendeu por US $ 200 milhões. A empresa tinha 40 séries de televisão em 19 redes antes de ser vendida. Kavanaugh teve várias conquistas e ganhou muitos prêmios: Prêmio de Produtor do Ano da Variety, Prêmio de Liderança do The Hollywood Reporter, Pessoas Mais Influentes com Menos de 40 Anos no Mundo dos Negócios da Fortune, Fortune 400 da Forbes, Produtor de Bilhão de Dólares da Daily Variety, e 100 Pessoas Mais Influentes do Mundo da Vanity Fair.

Sobre a Bolsa de Valores do Entretenimento (“ESX”)

A Bolsa de Valores do Entretenimento (Entertainment Stock X – ESX), uma plataforma inédita que permite aos usuários e fãs investirem em projetos de cinema e entretenimento por meio da Lei de Empregos, é uma plataforma inovadora para o financiamento do entretenimento. A empresa atende às necessidades de financiamento novo e mais eficiente para os cineastas. O ESX permite que os cineastas criem um valioso relacionamento de marketing diretamente com os fãs e permite que os fãs invistam em filmes pela primeira vez. Para mais informação, visite ESX.io

Fotos deste comunicados disponíveis em
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Contato com a Mídia

Michelle Vieyra
Jive PR + Digital
202-415-7714
michelle@jiveprdigital.com
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Proxima Studios de Ryan Kavanaugh annonce le début de la production de Skill House avec Bryce Hall, réalisé et écrit par Josh Stolberg – auteur de Jigsaw et Spiral – de la franchise Saw

Premier film du genre à être « coté » à la bourse du divertissement permettant aux fans de participer et d’investir dans le film via ESX.io

LOS ANGELES, 15 avr. 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Basé sur une idée originale de Ryan Kavanaugh, nominé par le mégaproducteur EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar et Tony), Skill House est le premier d’une franchise et dont la production principale devrait commencer en juin 2022 avec une date de sortie prévue début 2023. Il est financé et contrôlé par Proxima Studios, écrit et dirigé par la légende du film d’horreur Josh Stolberg, co-scénariste de films d’horreur tels que Spiral: From the Book of Saw (avec Chris Rock et Samuel L. Jackson), Jigsaw, Piranha 3D, Sorority Row, ainsi que le prochain film Saw  (sous le titre provisoire de Saw X) et le phénomène des réseaux sociaux Bryce Hall, l’une des stars des réseaux sociaux les plus suivies au monde avec plus de 50 millions de followers sur ses réseaux.

Skills House sera le premier film à être « coté » à la bourse du divertissement (« ESX »), une plateforme unique en son genre permettant aux utilisateurs d’investir dans le film et d’effectuer des opérations en bourse sur le film et ses recettes.

Avec une personnalité des réseaux sociaux comme Bryce Hall, Skill House fait un pied de nez aux influenceurs des réseaux sociaux et constituera une vision inébranlable de la renommée et de ce que les nouvelles célébrités sont prêtes à faire pour l’atteindre. Il sera tourné dans la Sway House, un manoir à Bel Air, rendu célèbre par de nombreuses plus grandes stars de Tik Tok. Il mettra au piloris le paysage des jeunes célébrités qui font tout ce qui est en leur pouvoir pour un « clic ».

« J’ai collaboré avec certaines des plus grandes stars d’Hollywood, y compris Chris Rock et Sam Jackson, Carrie Fisher et Dwayne Johnson… mais mes enfants sont plus enthousiastes à l’égard de ce projet que n’importe quel autre projet sur lequel j’ai travaillé », a commenté M. Stolberg. « Aux côtés de Bryce Hall et Ryan Kavanaugh, il s’agit certainement d’une première d’un genre nouveau du film d’horreur. Ces personnalités des réseaux sociaux sont le nouveau Hollywood, et elles réinventent ce que signifie être une star. Quand un jeune enfant du Maryland, comme Bryce, avec rien d’autre qu’un téléphone portable et une sonnerie lumineuse, peut attirer des dizaines de millions de followers sur Tik Tok et Instagram, cela veut bien dire que la notoriété est accessible à tout le monde. Mais il y a un côté sombre dans ce nouveau paysage du divertissement, et je suis ravi de dépasser cet obstacle. »

« Le film sera un film d’horreur “hard R” et aura une approche concrète de ce qu’il faut pour réussir dans une entreprise qui repose sur des fans qui “vous aiment”. » M. Stolberg a ajouté : « Il n’y a rien que j’adore plus que d’écrire une scène de meurtre où le sang coule à flot… et nous sommes déjà en train de dépasser le budget avec la quantité de sang que nous allons utiliser. Même si ce concept peut ressembler à de la parodie, j’adopterai une approche plus sérieuse et je me pencherai sur les peurs et l’horreur plutôt que sur l’humour. Je n’y suis pas allé de main morte. On m’a donné le feu vert pour y aller. Et j’ai trop hâte ! »

M. Kavanaugh, le 24e producteur le plus important de tous les temps, a produit et ou financé plus de 200 films tels que Fast and Furious 3,4,5,6, Social Network, 300, Mamma Mia!, Limitless, Fighter, Zombieland et bien d’autres encore. M. Kavanaugh possédait auparavant Rogue Pictures, qui a sorti plus de 60 films d’horreur, dont Strangers, The Unborn et My Soul to Take.

« Ce film a pour objectif de briser la frontière entre le phénomène des réseaux sociaux de forme courte et le contenu à forme longue », a déclaré M. Kavanaugh. « Bryce est l’un des influenceurs les plus reconnus et polarisants avec plus de 50 millions de followers et sera certainement une star “hybride”. Le film plonge profondément dans la psyché humaine et la soif de célébrité de la nouvelle génération, demandant jusqu’où ils iraient. Il sera sanglant, il sera mystérieux et on en parlera certainement. »

Daniel Herther, qui supervise la production et le développement créatif chez Proxima, collaborera en tant que producteur exécutif. Avant de rejoindre Proxima, M. Herther a produit le thriller Inconceivable avec Nic Cage et occupé des postes de direction chez Relativity Media et WB’s Gang Hollywood (300).

Ce sera la première fois que les fans pourront réellement investir dans un long métrage et participer aux bénéfices du film via ESX.

Bryce Hall est représenté par Brad Baskin de Panther Management, et Ryan Kavanaugh et Proxima sont représentés par Neil Sacker.

À propos de Proxima et Ryan Kavanaugh

Fondateur de Proxima Media, co-fondateur de Triller, Ryan Kavanaugh est l’un des cadres les plus accomplis, prolifiques et honorés de l’histoire du secteur du divertissement. À l’aide d’un modèle financier intelligent de la finance cinématographique, il a été qualifié de créateur du « Moneyball pour les films ». Il a produit, distribué et/ou structuré le financement de plus de 200 films, générant plus de 20 milliards de dollars de revenus au box-office mondial et remportant 60 nominations aux Oscars. Il est le 25e producteur de films le plus riche de tous les temps. Ses productions comprennent Fast and Furious 3-6, 300, Social Network, Limitless, Fighter, Talladega Nights, Step Brothers, et Mamma Mia! M. Kavanaugh et Proxima ont été les pionniers d’un accord de financement innovant pour Marvel après la faillite, créant le studio et la structure financière qui ont conduit à Marvel Cinematic Universe. Il a élaboré la catégorie SVOD (streaming) avec Netflix, ce qui a fait passer la capitalisation boursière de cette société de 2 à 10 milliards de dollars. M. Kavanaugh est le cofondateur de Triller, l’une des trois applications de réseaux sociaux à la croissance la plus rapide. Il a récemment dirigé l’acquisition, la fusion et la relance de l’application de réseaux sociaux et de musique.

Il a également créé la puissante société de télévision, désormais connue sous le nom de Critical Content, produisant des émissions à succès telles que Catfish sur MTV et Limitless sur CBS, qu’il a vendues pour 200 millions de dollars. La société possédait 40 séries télévisées sur 19 réseaux avant sa vente. M. Kavanaugh a remporté de nombreux succès et récompenses, du Variety’s Producer of the Year Award au Hollywood Reporter’s Leadership Award, en passant par les 40 personnes les plus influentes du classement Fortune au classement Fortune 400, le producteur de milliards de dollars par le Daily Variety et les 100 personnes les plus influentes au monde par Vanity Fair.

À propos de la bourse de divertissement (« ESX »)

Entertainment Stock X (ESX), une plateforme unique en son genre permettant aux utilisateurs et aux fans d’investir dans des projets de cinéma et de divertissement via le Job Act, est une plateforme innovante pour le financement du divertissement. La société répond au besoin de financement nouveau et plus efficace pour les cinéastes. ESX permet aux cinéastes de générer une précieuse relation de marketing direct avec les fans et permettra à ces derniers d’investir dans le cinéma pour la première fois. De plus amples informations sont disponibles sur ESX.io

Les photos accompagnant cette annonce sont disponibles sur
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/57bc3ab2-7d4e-4601-a463-9cfb7d99e918

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1b498c69-6617-4ef7-af25-e5dda90f3d34

Contact auprès des médias

Michelle Vieyra
Jive PR + Digital
202-415-7714
michelle@jiveprdigital.com
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More Rain Falls in South Africa’s Flood-ravaged Southeast

South Africa’s flood-ravaged east was hit by more rain Saturday after the deadliest storm to strike the country in living memory killed nearly 400 people and left tens of thousands homeless.

Floodwaters engulfed parts of the southeastern coastal city of Durban this week ripping apart roads, destroying hospitals and sweeping away homes and those trapped inside.

Emergency services in the southeastern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province, where Durban is located off the Indian Ocean coast, were on high alert.

Recovery operations and humanitarian relief were underway in the city of 3.5 million, which would normally have been teeming with Easter holiday-makers this weekend.

Toll rises

The death toll rose Saturday to 398 while 27 people were still reported missing, the government said in a statement. More than 40,000 have been rendered homeless.

“Sadly there are still bodies being recovered from homesteads, especially from the rural areas,” Shawn Herbst of the first responder company Netcare 911 told AFP.

“There is still damage taking place, especially with the rain we are experiencing today,” he added.

This weekend’s rainfall will not be “as hectic as it was in the past few days,” according to Puseletso Mofokeng, South Africa Weather Service forecaster.

But with soil being oversaturated with water, more flooding is expected.

Rugby match canceled

Despite the light rains falling on the city, a local premiership league football match between AmaZulu and Maritzburg United went ahead at the 2010 World Cup Moses Mabhida Stadium Saturday.

But a Currie Cup rugby match between local team, the Sharks, and the Bulls from Pretoria, scheduled for the city was canceled Friday as a mark of respect for victims of the flooding.

Troops, police and volunteers are leading the search and rescue operation.

Residents of Mariannhill, desperate for news of their missing relatives were relieved at the sight of rescuers, but the dread of fresh rains lingered.

“We have the rescue team finally … reach here, but seeing the rain that is coming back, they are going to be disrupted,” said Dumisani Kanyile after recovery teams failed to find any of the 10 members of one family missing in the Durban district.

Mesuli Shandu, 20, a close relative of the family, was still in a state of disbelief “that a massive number of people died in one day, including babies.”

“When I came, I thought it was a dream, maybe someone would pinch me and say it was a dream, just wake up.” But “I see all the rescuers and the dogs searching for their bodies.”

Another disaster

Six days after the floods first struck, hope of finding survivors is fading, and Durban emergency medical services representative Robert McKenzie said the response was now focused on recovery and humanitarian relief.

“We have moved from the emergency phase to the recovery phase of the disaster, more to humanitarian relief effort and restoration of services,” he told AFP.

Survivors are still desperately looking for missing relatives.

The floods have damaged more than 13,500 houses and destroyed around 4,000, leaving 58 hospitals and clinics “severely affected,” said a government representative.

Clean water is scarce, and authorities have promised to deploy water tankers. Residents were using shopping trolleys to carry water buckets.

Relief aid and donations

The government has announced 1 billion rand ($68 million) in emergency relief funding.

Confederation of African Football (CAF) chief billionaire Patrice Motsepe donated what he called a “humble contribution” of 30 million rand ($2 million, 1.9 million euros).

“Our people are suffering,” said Motsepe at a hall sheltering displaced people.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has postponed a working visit to Saudi Arabia that was scheduled to begin Tuesday, his office said.

“The loss of nearly 400 lives and thousands of homes, as well as the economic impact and the destruction of infrastructure, calls for all hands on deck,” Ramaphosa said.

South Africa, the continent’s most industrialized country, is still struggling to recover from the 2-year-old COVID pandemic and deadly riots last year that killed more than 350 people, mostly in the now flood-struck southeastern region.

Source: Voice of America

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Chinese astronauts land after 6 months on space station

Beijing, Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Saturday after six months aboard their country’s newest orbital station in the longest crewed mission to date for China’s ambitious space program.

The Shenzhou 13 space capsule landed in the Gobi desert in the northern region of Inner Mongolia, shown live on state TV, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

During the mission, astronaut Wang Yaping carried out the first spacewalk by a Chinese woman. Wang and crewmates Zhai Zhigang and Ye Guangfu beamed back physics lessons for high school students.

China launched its first astronaut into space in 2003 and landed robot rovers on the moon in 2013 and on Mars last year. Officials have discussed a possible crewed mission to the moon.

On Saturday, state TV showed images from inside the capsule as it traveled at 200 meters per second over Africa before entering the atmosphere.

The trio were the second crew aboard Tiangong, or Heavenly Palace. Its core module, Tianhe, was launched in April 2021. Plans call for completing construction this year by adding two more modules.

China is excluded from the International Space Station due to U.S. unease that its space program is run by the ruling Communist Party’s military wing, the People’s Liberation Army.

China was the third nation to launch an astronaut into space on its own after the former Soviet Union and the United States. Tiangong is China’s third space station following predecessors launched in 2011 and 2016.

The government announced in 2020 that China’s first reusable spacecraft had landed following a test flight but no photos or details of the vehicle have been released.

On Tuesday, President Xi Jinping visited the launch site in Wenchang on the southern island of Hainan from which the Tianhe module was fired into orbit.

“Persist in pursuing the frontiers of world aerospace development and the major strategic needs of national aerospace,” Xi told staff at the site, all of them in military uniform.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

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Mali Says ‘Dozen Terrorists’ Killed in Airstrikes

Mali’s army said Saturday that it had killed “a dozen terrorists” including a French-Tunisian jihadis in airstrikes in the center of the Sahel nation.

The armed forces carried out two strikes on Thursday “to neutralize a dozen terrorists in the forest of Ganguel” about 10 kilometers from the village of Moura, the general staff said in a press release.

“These strikes made it possible to neutralize some cadres of the GSIM,” (the Group to Support Islam and Muslims) the biggest jihadi alliance in the Sahel, it said, “including Samir Al-Burhan, a Franco-Tunisian terrorist cadre.”

The army said it acted on precise information regarding a “group of terrorists” it said had come “to boost the morale” of GSIM fighters and provide support to them after their “serious setback at Moura.”

Mali’s military-dominated government says it “neutralized” 203 jihadis in Moura at the end of March, but witnesses interviewed by media and Human Rights Watch (HRW) say soldiers actually killed scores of civilians with the help of foreign fighters.

No photos or video to support either the account by Malian authorities or HRW have emerged from Moura since then.

The U.N. mission in Mali has for days been asking to be allowed to send a team of investigators to the area but without success.

Ruled by a military junta since August 2020, Mali has been in a political crisis since 2012.

The spread of jihadis from the north of the vast, impoverished country has spilled into neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, and the conflict has become more complicated with emergence of local militias and criminal gangs.

Thousands of soldiers and civilians have been killed in the conflict, and hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee their homes.

Source: Voice of America

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Zambia starts mass export of avocados to Europe

LUSAKA, Zambia has started the mass export of avocados to Europe with the first consignment of over 37 tons, a senior government official said.

The commencement of export came after the southern African country met the phytosanitary requirements to export the fruit into Europe, said Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Green Mbozi.

The move marks the start of huge market opportunities for Zambia’s avocado growers, Mbozi was quoted as saying by state broadcaster Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation.

The agricultural ministry is in the process of finalizing discussions with South African authorities to start exporting avocados to that country, said Kenneth Msiska, director of the Plant Quarantine and Phytosanitary Service.

Source: Nam News Network