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Line-up includes ’Meet The Leroys’ starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and José Garcia.

Newen Connect has added a trio of star-powered French comedies – Meet The Leroys, Here & There and Karaoké – to its slate and the TF1-owned company will kick off sales for the new films at AFM.

Meet The Leroys is written and directed by International Emmy-nominated Florent Bernard (Le Flambeau) and stars Charlotte Gainsbourg and José Garcia in a story of a man facing divorce who attempts to rekindle his wife’s affections by taking her and their teenage children on a road trip down memory lane.

The film is...

"Mothers don't rap!" Gaumont has revealed an official trailer for a wacky French comedy called Yo Mama, and yes, that is indeed the real title for this (both in French and abroad). It's opening in France next month, though there's no other international opening dates set yet. Shocked by the gangsta-rap video clip of their 11-year-old sons, three mothers decide to make a hip hop video of their own to restore the communication with their kids. Against all odds, these three best friends are a resounding success, all before being quickly overtaken by their sudden fame and this unfamiliar world. The film stars Claudia Tagbo, Zaho, Sophie-Marie Larrouy, plus Jean-Pascal Zadi and Ted Etienne. This is super duper cheesy, of course, but it doesn't look as bad as it seems. Looks kinda fun. The French trailer includes English subtitles - view below. // Continue Reading ›...

Lucas Bernard’s romantic comedy ’In The Sub For Love’ is another new acquisition for French studio.

French studio Gaumont has unveiled a hefty genre-hopping Cannes slate complete with all new acquisitions Gilles de Maistre’s family adventure Moon The Panda, Stéphane Brizé’s romance drama Out Of Season and Lucas Bernard’s romantic comedy In The Sub For Love in addition to a slew of market premieres and official selection festival titles.

New acquisitions

Moon The Panda is the latest film from the master of the human-animal adventure tale Gilles de Maistre following Mia And The White Lion and The Wolf And The Lion.

Newen Connect, which is attending Canneseries with Stefano Lodovichi’s mafia thriller “Christian” playing in main competition, is growing its slate of English-language and international shows through partnerships with third-party producers and talents.

Bringing together the commercial activities of Newen Group, TF1 Studio and ReelOne International, Newen Connect has just signed a deal with Swedish banner Mopar Studios to co-develop and distribute globally two ambitious political thrillers, “9th Dynasty” and “The Walls Between Us.”

An epic love story spanning 30 years in the late 20th century, “The Walls Between Us” follows the dangerous and compromised lives of three former students through the Cold War, rise of terrorism, and political shifts of the 1970’s and 1980’s.

“9th Dynasty,” meanwhile, deals with the abuse of personal data sharing and how destructive it can be. The series follows two young analysts – one English, one Chinese – who seek to uncover the truth about the murder...

Romantic comedy is third feature for popular French actor in the director’s chair.

France TV Distribution is launching international sales on Pascal Elbé’s romantic comedy Hear Me Out ,about a history teacher in denial about losing his hearing, at next week’s virtual Cannes.

Elbé directs and stars opposite Sandrine Kiberlain who plays the mother of a young girl who has stopped talking. She helps him to open up to the world and find peace with his condition.

They are joined by a strong ensemble cast featuring Manon Lemoine, François Berléand, Valérie Donzelli, Antoine Gouy, Claudia Tagbo, Marthe Villalonga and Emmanuelle Devos.

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Tuesday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best show currently on TV?” can be found at the end of this post.)

This week’s question: Who has been the best guest star on a scripted show?

Tim Surette (@timsurette), TV.com

Wayne Brady showing up in body armor and riding a horse on Syfy’s post-apocalyptic disaster disaster “Aftermath” needs to be mentioned somewhere in this critics’ roundup, so here it is. But I’ll point out two from intentional comedies that come to mind. Timothy Olyphant’s short run on “The Grinder” as himself was fantastic and if I didn’t mention this my coworker Kaitlin would kill me. But my pick goes to David Duchovny, also as himself, on “The Larry Sanders Show.” We’d largely known Duchovny for...

Orlando, Fla. — Zumba Fitness instructors worldwide are not only using a Latin-heavy song lineup in their classes, they're also creating new fans for artists such as Pitbull, Daddy Yankee and Don Omar.

Omar's "Zumba" has remained high on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart for nearly a year, peaking at No. 2. In Greece, Daddy Yankee's "Limbo," currently in the Top 10 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, is featured in a promotional video that has Greek Zumba instructors dancing to a Puerto Rican reggaeton beat in a beach setting.

"Daddy Yankee texted me five days ago and said, `I wanted you to know that `Limbo' is as much your hit as it is my hit,'" said Zumba Fitness co-founder and CEO Alberto Perlman. "It was perfect for Zumba. When he showed it to us, he said, `I said Zumba nine times in the song and it's because you guys have inspired me.