Variety

Film Festivals: De la Iglesia on the 'Mark' with adaptation -- Alex de la Iglesia will segue from "Circus" to another dramedy genre-blender.

Venice Film Festival: Placido thanks FIP for backing controversial pic -- Michele Placido says he has Fox Intl. Prods. to thank for getting crimer off ground.

Film Reviews: Utterly fascinating experiment examines notions of celebrity, mental stability and friendship.

Legit News: Producer may shed four London venues -- Andrew Lloyd Webber and his Really Useful Group company are in exclusive negotiations to sell four of his West End theaters.

Film Reviews: Despite skillful assemblage, the script's plausibility issues increasingly undermine engagement.

Weekend B.O.: Clooney thriller takes in $16.4 mil over four days -- Adult auds wound up embracing Focus Features' George Clooney thriller "The American."

Europe: Event to look at C. and E. European pix -- New films and works in progress from Central and Eastern Europe are to be showcased at festivals in Warsaw and Moscow next month.

Americas: London conference focuses on new U.S. shows -- Want to know which upcoming new U.S. shows are likely to stick around -- and those that are headed for oblivion?

International Top Story: London conference focuses on new U.S. shows -- Want to know which upcoming new U.S. shows are likely to stick around -- and those that are headed for oblivion?

3D TV: VOD service available to IPTV subscribers -- Deutsche Telekom has launched Germany's first 3D TV offering as part of its video on demand platform.

Headline Newsletter International News: Bayerischer Rundfunk increases contribution -- While the flailing economy has forced some European film subsidies to slash their budgets or reduce spending, Bavarian regional funder FimFernsehFondsBayern (FFF) announced on Monday that it was increasing its annual budget by some E350,000 ($450,967).

International Top Story: Bayerischer Rundfunk increases contribution -- While the flailing economy has forced some European film subsidies to slash their budgets or reduce spending, Bavarian regional funder FimFernsehFondsBayern (FFF) announced on Monday that it was increasing its annual budget by some E350,000 ($450,967).

Australia/New Zealand: Duo to co-produce shows in Oz, NZ -- Granada Australia announced Monday it had inked a deal to rep all SevenOne formats in Oz and NZ.

Asia: Co-production deal signed with Murugadoss -- After establishing a Bollywood beachhead with "My Name Is Khan" and "Quick Gun Murugan," Fox Star Studios is entering the Tamil-language market via a co-production with A.R. Murugadoss Prods.

International Top Story: Co-production deal signed with Murugadoss -- After establishing a Bollywood beachhead with "My Name Is Khan" and "Quick Gun Murugan," Fox Star Studios is entering the Tamil-language market via a co-production with A.R. Murugadoss Prods.

Asia: First up is perf by Takarazuka troupe -- Multiplex chain Kadokawa Cineplex has launched a project to beam theatrical events live to its cinemas.

Scout & About: Dubai: Dubai fest faces competition for the few Arab films -- There are two main challenges facing us," says Dubai Intl. Film Festival chairman Abdulhamid Juma. "The first is the small number of films produced in the Arab world. The second is that there are more festivals that want to screen these films."

Scout & About: Dubai: Dresser shares his vision of Dubai -- It takes a lot to impress globetrotting location veteran Douglas Dresser, but he was duly smitten during a trip to Dubai last year.

Middle East: Local orgs offer programs for film school -- With nearly 60% of the 340 million people in the Arab region under the age of 25, it should come as no surprise that aspirations to work in the film industry are at an all-time high in the Middle East.

Middle East: American film school set up shop abroad -- Film education is still relatively new in the Middle East, where previous generations had to travel to the U.S. for their schooling (such as Jordan-born AFI graduate Amin Matalqa, who directed his country's first Oscar submission, "Captain Abu Raed").