Nicola Coughlan will be honored at this year’s Canneseries festival with the Konbini Commitment Award. The Bridgerton and Derry Girls star will participate in an interview before receiving the award at the Lumiere Theater in Cannes’ Palais des Festivals on April 28.
The award, presented by French media group Konbini, recognizes talent whose work has artistic impact or social significance. Previous recipients include Sex Education creator Laurie Nunn, American Horror Story actress Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, and Transparent showrunner Joey Soloway.
Coughlan gained recognition for her role in Derry Girls, a comedy set in 1990s Northern Ireland. The series won best comedy at the 2023 BAFTAs and the International Emmy Awards. She later gained international fame as Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton, earning a Screen Actors Guild nomination for best female actor in a drama series.
She also appeared as Diplomat Barbie in Barbie, starred alongside Lydia West in Big Mood, and featured in the Doctor Who Christmas special. Her upcoming projects include The Magic Faraway Tree, where she plays Silky the woodland fairy opposite Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy.
‘Shin Chan’ Movies Set for India Release
Two films from TV Asahi’s Shin Chan franchise will be released in India this year through PVR INOX Pictures. Shin Chan: Our Dinosaur Diary arrives in theaters on May 5, while Shin Chan: The Spicy Kasukabe Dancers in India is set for an October release during Diwali season. The films will be available in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Japanese with English subtitles.
The Shin Chan television series first aired in India in 2006 on Hungama TV and later moved to Sony Yay! in May 2024. The series follows a mischievous five-year-old and his younger sister as they create chaos for their family and friends.
Maiko Sumida, Head of Animation Sales & Development at TV Asahi, said, “2025 is likely to become a major milestone for our Shin Chan team. It has been our long-standing dream to release Shin Chan the movie in theaters in India, the movie superpower.”
RTS Awards Nominees Announced
The Royal Television Society (RTS) has announced nominees for this year’s awards. Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, Supacell, and Industry will compete for the Drama Series award.
BBC leads the nominations with 45 entries, including Mr Bates vs the Post Office, which received two nominations. Monica Dolan is nominated in the Leading Actor – Female category for Mr Bates vs the Post Office and in Supporting Actor for Sherwood. Other nominees include Ambika Mod (One Day) and Anna Maxwell Martin (Until I Kill You). In the Leading Actor – Male category, Ben Whishaw (Black Doves), Adeel Akhtar (Showtrial), and Lennie James (Mr Loverman) are nominated.
The RTS Awards also recognized The Traitors, which received nominations in both Entertainment and Entertainment Performance, with host Claudia Winkleman competing in the latter category.
Industry and Production Updates
Directors UK, BBC Studios, ITV Studios, and Pact have established new guidelines outlining expectations for directors and production companies. These include provisions ensuring the director’s creative role is respected, adequate preparation time is provided, and policies for respectful working conditions are upheld.
Directors UK CEO Andy Harrower emphasized that collaboration is key to strong television production, stating, “The best television is made when everyone in a production team works well together.”
Meanwhile, investment firm Tower Peak Partners (TPP) is launching a plan to expand intellectual property across entertainment and sports. The initiative will focus on audiovisual production, distribution, and sports rights.
Elisa Alvares, founder of investment advisory firm Jacaranda Group, will lead the effort as Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer for Global Rights & Intellectual Property. TPP, which launched in June 2023, has offices in London, New York, Rio de Janeiro, and Panama City.