FORMAT

Banijay Productions France is reviving hit reality format “Temptation Island” for French network W9, marking its return to the country after five years.

“Temptation Island” sees couples at a crossroads in their relationship embark on a journey to test their commitment. Separated in two different beach resorts, the couples interact with a group of singles to determine if their love is strong enough to withstand the challenges they will encounter on the island.

The format previously played nine seasons in France, last airing in 2019. Distributed globally by Banijay, it has been adapted in 26 countries including Italy, Germany, Finland and India.

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Florence Fayard, CEO Banijay Productions France, said: “‘Temptation Island’ is a tried and tested global hit, enticing viewers around the world with its drama, emotional declarations, and conversation-inciting topics. At Banijay Productions France, we love to produce bold reality formats and we are very much looking forward to using our expertise in the genre to bring this exceptional IP back to France.”

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Meanwhile the BBC‘s resurrected format “Gladiators” is set to return to U.K. screens on Jan. 13 on BBC One and iPlayer, the broadcaster has confirmed. A sports entertainment gameshow that originated in the U.S., “Gladiators” will see a group of resident athletes competing against contenders “in the ultimate test of speed and strength” according to the logline. It is hosted by father and son duo Bradley and Barney Walsh. Hungry Bear and MGM Alternative U.K. produce.

GAMES PLAYING

Chinese bureaucrat Feng Shixin is reported by local media to have left his post as head of the publication bureau chief at the Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department. He is the official that was identified as last month proposing strict new regulations and revenue controls on the video games industry. The draft measures caught the market by surprise and wiped billions of dollars off the value of companies including Tencent and rival NetEase. Word of Feng’s apparent exit caused the shares of the two companies to make a modest recovery on Wednesday.

DOCUMENTARY SEASON

After a successful inaugural edition in June, 2023, the second Italian Doc Season returns to London’s Bertha DocHouse (Jan. 27-28) with a trio of acclaimed documentaries with the filmmakers in attendance. Valentina Cocogna and Mattia Colombo’s “Pure Unknown” revolves around Dr. Cristina Cattaneo’s autopsy room where unnamed migrant bodies, rejected by the Mediterranean Sea onto the shores of Italy, land and she raises concerns about their right to dignity. The film had festival play at Visions du Reel, Hot Docs and Karlovy Vary and won the audience award at Biografilm. Erik Gandini’s CPH: DOX and Hot Docs title “After Work” mulls the post AI workplace scenario via the experiences of its protagonists in Kuwait, South Korea, U.S. and Italy and explores what could be the new work ethic, compatible with a future ‘work free existence,’ with Elon Musk and Noam Chomsky weighing in. Mark Cousins‘ IDFA winner “The March on Rome” narrates the ascent of fascism in Italy and its fall-out across 1930s Europe through little-seen archive footage and cinematic analysis.

THEATRICAL RELEASE

Dogwoof will release Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine’s Toronto and London-selected documentary “Copa 71,” executive produced by Serena Williams and Venus Williams and Alex Morgan, on March 8. Told by the pioneering women who participated in it and built from archive unseen for 50 years, the film tells the story of the 1971 women’s soccer World Cup, a tournament witnessed by record crowds that was written out of sporting history.

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