Beta Cinema arrives in Cannes with a slew of sales on its eagerly anticipated

resistance epic WILLIAM TELL. Currently in post production, Nick Hamm’s timely adaptation for the

big screen of Friedrich Schiller’s play stars Claes Bang (The Square, Dracula), Golshifteh Farahani

(Paterson, Extraction), Connor Swindells (Barbie, Sex Education, Emma), Jonah Hauer-King (The Little

Mermaid, The Tattooist of Auschwitz) and Academy-Award winner Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, Schindler’s

List, Iron Man), alongside a top-notch ensemble cast including Ellie Bamber (Moss & Freud, Nocturnal

Animals), Rafe Spall (Life of Pi, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, The Big Short), Emily Beecham (The

Interpreter, Little Joe) and Academy-Award nominee Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes, Game of

Thrones, The Age of Innocence, The Wife).

"COLD TAPES" revolutionises audio entertainment by blending scripted audio, true crime storytelling, and immersive mystery elements. Players are invited into a dynamic adventure to solve a murder on an Antarctic base. Since its launch four weeks ago, "COLD TAPES" has received widespread acclaim, now rocketing to the number 1 spot on the Apple fiction charts.

Inspired by the desire to create a collaborative and engaging listening experience, it invites audiences to dive into a murder mystery set against the stark backdrop of Antarctica during the isolated Winter Over period.

Beneath the ice, lies a web of deceit

A mysterious murder on a remote Antarctic base thrusts DCI Tessa McCallister into the incestuous lives and suffocating dynamics of an isolated community of international scientists and crew.

In a labyrinth of police interviews, covert recordings, and audio diaries, Tessa navigates forbidden desires, concealed criminal histories, violent psychosis, and global conspiracy theories to uncover the truth behind the murder.

With a murderer still on the base, join her as she races against time to untangle the maze of deception before the killer strikes again, revealing chilling truths buried beneath the ice.

16 Suspects. 1 murderer. Can you solve it?

Free Turn Entertainment today announced the release of

“COLD TAPES: Winter Over”, a brand new type of audio entertainment that combines the twists and turns of a ‘real-life’ murder investigation with the challenge and enjoyment of a murder mystery game.

Launched in partnership with Spotify, COLD TAPES breaks traditional podcast formats by presenting a cache of seemingly unedited or raw audio files, creating an unexplored world for the listener to immerse themselves in and, in a unique twist, challenging them to piece together the clues they hear to solve the crime at the heart of the story.

Set against the backdrop of Antarctica's six-month Winter Over, which is marked by perpetual darkness and isolation, the story delves into the intertwined lives and claustrophobic relationships of a small group of international scientists and crew stationed on a remote research base, Bowers Wilson. In addition to the pressure posed by the extreme conditions, the research station crackles with sexual tension, unexplained mysterious psychotic events, hidden criminal pasts, and strange global conspiracy theories, thrusting any wannabe detectives into a gripping narrative surrounding the mysterious death of a 33-year-old behavioural scientist Andrew Fairfield.

The Salvation, a new eight-part science fiction audio thriller, will premiere Thursday, October 4th, on Audible via the audio-first entertainment company Fresh Produce Media and the British entertainment company Free Turn Entertainment.

Written by multi-platinum selling musical artist and writer Justin Lockey, and recorded in London, The D.C. Salvation stars Ariyon Bakare (His Dark Materials), Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones), and Toby Jones, OBE (The Hunger Games, voice of Dobby in Harry Potter, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny). The series is directed by Boz Temple-Morris, with additional writing by A.K Benedict and Jeffrey Aidoo.

Inspired by the acclaimed book "Lily and the Rockets" by Rebecca Stevens, published by Chicken House in 2019, the feature film unfolds against the backdrop of the First World War, following the extraordinary journey of 18-year old Lily, a courageous young woman who dares to challenge the prevailing gender norms of her time. Driven by her passion for football and her incredible skills as a goalkeeper, Lily seizes the opportunity to join a group of spirited women forming a football team at the local munitions factory where they work. Their journey is a heartening tale of battling prejudice, societal barriers, sexism and scepticism to create a legacy that would transform the story of women's football.

LOOP - The UK’s First Audio Drama Development Fund Launches

Free Turn Entertainment and Screen Yorkshire Announce Joint Initiative for Northern Writing Talent

Free Turn Entertainment, has announced the appointment of Ron Downey, formerly the Co-founder of Massive Interactive as Chairman. Ron’s appointment follows a successful round of investment for Free Turn allowing the company to significantly scale their development plans for premium IP across film, television and audio. Ron will bring decades of experience in fundraising, entertainment technologies and distribution to the team as well as a long track record of growing innovative businesses around the world.

SHOTS:

2020 has obviously been a nuts year. One that none of us wants to repeat or even dwell on. However, from the perspective of branded entertainment, this year will be looked back on as pivotal. Ultimately it was a year that injected rocket fuel into the category, firing emerging behaviours into the mainstream for that, at least, we in the industry should be thankful.