Busan Hires Deputy Director
The Busan International Film Festival has hired Pak Dosin, a former senior festival programmer, as co-deputy director. In a dual-leadership structure, Pak will act as festival director alongside co-deputy director Kang Seung-ah. Today the festival also announced that it has postponed the appointment of its next director. This year, the event will be conducted under the leadership of chairperson Park Kwang-su, ACFM director Ellen Y. D. Kim, and co-deputy directors Seung-ah and Dosin. The festival said the decision was made to “allocate resources effectively by reducing the administrative processes and time needed to elect the festival director.” This comes after a tumultuous 2023 for the festival, which saw four managers resign. The 29th Busan International Film Festival will run October 2-11.
Hernan Lopez Goes Deep On Data With New Consultancy Owl & Co
Former Fox exec and Wondery founder Hernan Lopez has launched a data-led management consultancy, Owl & Co. He is back on the TV and media scene after winning a legal battle to clear his name in relation to soccer rights deals. In September, a judge overturned an earlier conviction in relation to a bribery case.
His new venture will combine “a unique blend of data and real-life experience to serve clients in media, tech and the attention economy,” Lopez shared in a social media post.
India‘s Amazon MiniTV Buys Turkish Drama Package
Indian free streaming service Amazon MiniTV has bought a selection of Turkish dramas from distributor Eccho Rights. The titles comprise Sürec Film’s Star TV shows Hear Me and Dreaming of You and Gold Film’s Love Puzzle, also for the same network. They will be dubbed into Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. This is part of MiniTV’s strategy to launch an international series each week. Turkish dramas continue to be among the best-selling scripted productions in the world, with buyers in India, Central and Eastern Europe and Latin Americas consistently shopping for them. “Turkish dramas are known for their great story telling and production quality, and we are thrilled to bring these shows to our viewers,” said Amogh Dusad, Head of Content at Amazon MiniTV.
Spanish Pubcaster RTVE Names Interim Boss
Spain’s pubcaster, RTVE, has appointed an interim President amid a week of simmering tensions. Concepción Cascajosa has been installed in the post following the removal of Elena Sánchez. Also dismissed this week was content chief Jose Pablo López. Sánchez and López had clashed over the strategy, specifically over the acquisition of a high-cost Movistar entertainment show fronted by presenter and comedian David Brancano, according to local reports. Sánchez had called for López’s removal, which the board backed, but one member, Roberto Lakidain, then called for Sánchez’s dismissal as well. Cascajosa will take on the President post for the next six months. RTVE’s board is made up of politicians from the country’s main political parties.