World

Series Creators Push Back as the Industry Gets ‘Nervous’ About Important Stories and Female Perspective: ‘The Content Might Be Different Enough to Actually Make a Difference’

Published

2 weeks ago

February 17, 2026

Series Creators Push Back as the Industry Gets ‘Nervous’ About Important Stories and Female Perspective: ‘The Content Might Be Different Enough to Actually Make a Difference’

The industry is getting “nervous about telling important stories.”

“It’s becoming extremely safe,” said Andri Omársson, CEO of the Icelandic production company Glassriver.“The line I always get is that ‘the news is horrifying to watch, so our productions should be entertaining and glossy.’ In Iceland, we are telling non-English stories, which makes it even harder to finance internationally.”

Opening up during the Berlinale Series Market panel “Changing the Narrative: Gender Balance in the Industry,” presented in partnership with Variety, Alicia Remirez said: “In Germany, if you develop a show, there’s a good balance of female and male producers and writers. But it’s mainly male producers who get commissioned. We need to take a closer look at who’s behind producing the shows. It’s not as balanced as it could, or should, be.”

Remirez, CEO of Constantin Film, agreed with Omársson. Wars, the pandemic and ongoing crises have convinced decision-makers that audiences need “light entertainment.” But it shouldn’t come at the expense of the female perspective.

“You can have ‘Barbie’ or ‘Bridgerton,’ which has a strong female perspective and is also very successful,” she pointed out.

New series “Monyová,” about a famous Czech writer who was murdered by her husband, combines entertainment and social issues. Just like Simona Monyová’s books.

“She wrote romantic novels, but she was actually very self-deprecating. After her murder, it became clear she was writing about her relationship and what she endured,” explained Barbora Námerová, one of the series’ creators.

“Her voice [in the books] was so strong it allowed us to portray her as more than a victim. I feel we gave Simona her voice back.”

Námerová, also behind features “Filthy” and “Nightsiren,” admitted it has become easier to tell stories about women and the violence they experience.

“When we were working on ‘Filthy’ it was before #MeToo and no one wanted to hear about rape or its aftermath. With “Monyová,” [co-creator and creative producer] Klára Follová had to be really brave. Not only because we wanted to talk about femicide, but also because she wanted to have an almost entirely female team,” she recalled.

“I think things are slowly changing. But we still needed this woman to push us through.”

Even in Iceland, which elected the world’s first female president, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, gender balance remains a “big topic,” noted Omársson.

“Every producer, male or female, needs to constantly keep an eye on it. We need to ask ourselves: How can we nurture the female narrative and ensure that it thrives? Five years ago, we established strict guidelines in our company. We now have gender balance in our overall cast and crew, as well as in our higher-level roles.”

Certain storylines, especially those involving gender violence, require a more balanced group of collaborators. While Omársson-produced series “Cold Haven” was originally developed in Portugal by two female writers, the team has expanded.

“We added a male writer from Iceland and, once the storyline became abusive, we needed an Icelandic female perspective as well. We also had seven external editors to provide creative notes on this topic in particular. It took some time, but it felt important,” he said.

“In Iceland, two of our three commissioners are women. It’s a great shift, but we’re influenced by what the market is buying. We divide our slate into two categories: one that caters to market demand and the ‘passion projects.’ We shouldn’t forget the important stories we want to tell.”

While it’s easier to point out the lack of gender balance in certain societies, most problems –the lack of equal pay or male dominance in technical departments – persist.

“I’m of a Spanish background, and it’s easy to say that a ‘machismo’ society isn’t right for women. It’s so obvious. But just because things are more subtle, like in Germany, doesn’t mean they are any less painful,” noted Remirez.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done in Germany and diversity is an even larger issue. So many people are excluded from our industry. I really want us to grow, even if worldwide politics are so conservative right now. I think we are on our way – I just hope we don’t stop.”

With “Monyová” expanding into the documentary series “Love Doesn’t Hurt” about domestic violence, as reported exclusively by Variety, it’s also necessary to think about “who owns the stories,” said Námerová. Especially when it comes to true crime or trauma.

“There’s a huge debate about this in Czech Republic [connected to the film ‘Broken Voices’]. We need to think about the families of the victims, or even the perpetrators. I hope we will be more sensitive.”

Via a statement shared during the panel, the show’s director Zuzana Kirchnerová admitted she wanted the audience to experience Monyová’s emotions “alongside her”: “That’s why I often used close-ups of the lead actress’s face, keeping the camera in intimate proximity. The physical closeness of the camera reflects the character’s vulnerability and fragility.”

Remirez also noticed a shift in how sensitive or violent scenes are depicted.

“I was just talking to two young men, one a director and the other a screenwriter. They’re struggling to understand how they can become good partners to women in the industry. There is a movement, I feel. Open-minded men want to be allies, and this is the way to do it. You include people,” she observed. But having female commissioners is key.

“I am keen to speak to our commissioners and say: ‘You have to invest into female producing.’ The content might not be utterly different, but it might be different enough to actually make a difference.”

Omársson added: “I would also love it if we could normalize good behavior.”

“Even shows that aren’t gender-balance themed should be developed with these metrics in mind. It would be good for everybody.”

‘Monyová’

Courtesy of NovaTV

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World

A look at some of the contenders to be Iran’s supreme leader after the killing of Khamenei

Published

6 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

A look at some of the contenders to be Iran’s supreme leader after the killing of Khamenei

Iran’s leaders are scrambling to replace Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ruled the country for 37 years before he was killed in the surprise U.S. and Israeli bombardment.

It’s only the second time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that a new supreme leader is being chosen. Potential candidates range from hard-liners committed to confrontation with the West to reformists who seek diplomatic engagement.

The supreme leader has the final say on all major decisions, including war, peace and the country’s disputed nuclear program.

In the meantime, a provisional governing council composed of President Masoud Pezeshkian, hard-line judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and senior Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi is guiding the country through its biggest crisis in decades. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that a new supreme leader would be chosen early this week.

The supreme leader is appointed by an 88-member panel called the Assembly of Experts, who by law are supposed to quickly name a successor. The panel consists of Shiite clerics who are popularly elected after their candidacies are approved by the Guardian Council, Iran’s constitutional watchdog.

Khamenei had major influence over both clerical bodies, making it unlikely the next leader will mark a radical departure.

Here are the top contenders.

Mojtaba Khamenei

The son of Khamenei, a mid-level Shiite cleric, is widely considered a potential successor. He has strong ties to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard but has never held office. His selection could prove awkward, as the Islamic Republic has long criticized hereditary rule and cast itself as a more just alternative.

Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi

Arafi is a member of the provisional government council. The senior Shiite cleric was handpicked by Khamenei to be a member of the Guardian Council in 2019, and three years later he was elected to the Assembly of Experts. He leads a network of seminaries.

Hassan Rouhani

Rouhani, a relative moderate, was president of Iran from 2013 to 2021 and reached the landmark nuclear agreement with the Obama administration that U.S. President Donald Trump scrapped during his first term. Rouhani served on the Assembly of Experts until 2024, when he said he was disqualified from running for reelection. Rouhani criticized it as an infringement on Iranians’ political participation.

Hassan Khomeini

Khomeini is the most prominent grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. He is also seen as a relative moderate, but has never held government office. He currently works at his grandfather’s mausoleum in Tehran.

Ayatollah Mohammed Mehdi Mirbagheri

Mirbagheri is a senior cleric popular with hard-liners who serves on the Assembly of Experts.

He was close to the late Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, a fellow hard-liner who wrote that Iran should not deprive itself of the right to produce “special weapons,” a veiled reference to nuclear arms.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mirbagheri denounced the closure of schools as a “conspiracy.”

He is currently the head of the Islamic Cultural Center in Qom, the main center for Islamic teaching in Iran.

World

US cleared to use British bases for limited strikes on Iranian missile capabilities

Published

7 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

US cleared to use British bases for limited strikes on Iranian missile capabilities

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The U.S. has been cleared to use British bases for limited strikes on Iran’s missile capabilities after Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed off on the plan, and while U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey stated on Sunday Britain had “stepped up alongside the Americans.”

“The only way to stop the threat is to destroy the missiles at source, in their storage depots or the launchers which are used to fire the missiles,” Starmer confirmed in a recorded statement to the nation.

“The U.S. has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose,” he said. “We have taken the decision to accept this request.”

The decision came amid escalation across the Middle East in the wake of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory missile and drone attacks, raising fears of a broader regional conflict.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed off on a plan to use British bases for limited strikes on Iranian missile capabilities. (Kin Cheung / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

On Feb. 28, in the wake of Operation Epic Fury, Starmer confirmed British planes “are in the sky today” across the Middle East “as part of coordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests and our allies.”

Healey went on to disclose Sunday that two Iranian missiles were fired in the direction of Cyprus, where Britain maintains key sovereign base areas.

The Royal Air Force confirmed that Typhoon jets operating from Qatar as part of the joint U.K.-Qatar Typhoon Squadron successfully intercepted an Iranian drone heading toward Qatar.

About 300 British personnel are stationed at a naval facility in Bahrain, where Iranian missiles and drones struck nearby areas.

“We’re taking down the drones that are menacing either our bases, our people or our allies,” Healey told “Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips” on Sky. “We’ve stepped up alongside the Americans. We’ve stepped up our defensive forces in the Middle East. We’re flying those sorties.”

ISRAEL’S LARGEST EVER MILITARY FLYOVER HAMMERS IRANIAN MILITARY TARGETS

British Defense Secretary John Healey stressed that the U.K. had “no part” in the American-Israeli strikes on Iran. (Peter Nicholls/Pool via Reuters)

Healey also made sure to stress that the U.K. had “no part” in the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and insisted all British actions were defensive. “All our actions are about defending U.K. interests and defending U.K. allies,” he said.

When asked if the U.K. would join the U.S. in offensive action, Healey said, “I’m not going to speculate,” according to Sky News.

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Downing Street also confirmed Feb. 28 that Starmer and President Donald Trump had spoken by phone about the “situation in the Middle East,” the BBC reported.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Downing Street for comment.

Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture.

World

Pakistan calls troops, orders 3-day curfew as 24 killed in pro-Iran rallies

Published

8 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Pakistan calls troops, orders 3-day curfew as 24 killed in pro-Iran rallies

Army deployed and some areas in northern Gilgit-Baltistan region put under curfew after deadly violence over Khamenei’s killing.

By AFP, Anadolu and The Associated Press

Published On 2 Mar 2026

Pakistan has called in the military and imposed a three-day curfew in some areas following deadly protests over the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint United States-Israeli attack on Saturday.

At least 24 people were killed and dozens injured in clashes between protesters and security forces across the country on Sunday, prompting authorities to tighten security around the US embassy and consulates.