Sophie Desmarais plays talented young conductor wrestling with relationships.
Visit Films has acquired worldwide sales rights excluding Canada for Days Of Happiness, Chloé Robichaud’s upcoming world premiere in TIFF Special Presentations.
Days Of Happiness will premiere on September 9 and stars Sophie Desmarais as Emma, a conductor and rising star on the Montreal stage who has a complicated relationship with her father and agent Patrick.
Emma must confront her emotions if she is to succeed in navigating her career and her romantic relationship with Naëlle, a newly separated cellist and mother of a young boy.
Sylvain Marcel and Nour Belkhiria...
Visit Films has acquired worldwide sales rights excluding Canada for Days Of Happiness, Chloé Robichaud’s upcoming world premiere in TIFF Special Presentations.
Days Of Happiness will premiere on September 9 and stars Sophie Desmarais as Emma, a conductor and rising star on the Montreal stage who has a complicated relationship with her father and agent Patrick.
Emma must confront her emotions if she is to succeed in navigating her career and her romantic relationship with Naëlle, a newly separated cellist and mother of a young boy.
Sylvain Marcel and Nour Belkhiria...
- 8/24/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
Item 7, the producer of Jean-Marc Vallée’s breakout movie C.R.A.Z.Y., is at work on a documentary about the Dallas Buyers Club and Big Little Lies director, who died suddenly in December 2021 at the age of 58 years.
Marie-Julie Dallaire will direct Cut Print Thank You Bye, which has the support of and participation from the family of the late Canadian filmmaker — his sons Alex and Émile Vallée, and their mother, Chantal Cadieux.
Pierre Even will produce the feature-length doc that will use archives and original footage to recall the life of Vallée, who grew as a director in Quebec before breaking out in Hollywood with a string of studio films and TV hits.
“Jean-Marc and I became friends at the release of C.R.A.Z.Y. His sudden departure leaves me without words. Yet, I feel the need to...
Item 7, the producer of Jean-Marc Vallée’s breakout movie C.R.A.Z.Y., is at work on a documentary about the Dallas Buyers Club and Big Little Lies director, who died suddenly in December 2021 at the age of 58 years.
Marie-Julie Dallaire will direct Cut Print Thank You Bye, which has the support of and participation from the family of the late Canadian filmmaker — his sons Alex and Émile Vallée, and their mother, Chantal Cadieux.
Pierre Even will produce the feature-length doc that will use archives and original footage to recall the life of Vallée, who grew as a director in Quebec before breaking out in Hollywood with a string of studio films and TV hits.
“Jean-Marc and I became friends at the release of C.R.A.Z.Y. His sudden departure leaves me without words. Yet, I feel the need to...
- 6/16/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Filming has begun in Canada on New Regency-backed fencing thriller Balestra, which will be produced as a feature with an alternate version to be released separately as a limited series.
Cush Jumbo (The Good Fight), Manny Jacinto (The Good Place) and James Badge Dale (Iron Man 3) lead cast on the project, which will follow Joanna (Jumbo), who has dedicated her life to becoming the greatest fencer in the world. With the Paris Olympics looming as her last chance to reach the top of the podium, she is pressured by her husband and coach Raph (Dale) to become a test subject for the Halo, a prototype device that lets her extend her training into her sleeping hours. Reality begins to blur when Joanna encounters a stranger named Elliot (Jacinto) and finds herself caught between her exhilarating new dreams and her pursuit of Olympic gold.
Rounding out the cast is Christin Park (Charmed) as Audrey,...
Cush Jumbo (The Good Fight), Manny Jacinto (The Good Place) and James Badge Dale (Iron Man 3) lead cast on the project, which will follow Joanna (Jumbo), who has dedicated her life to becoming the greatest fencer in the world. With the Paris Olympics looming as her last chance to reach the top of the podium, she is pressured by her husband and coach Raph (Dale) to become a test subject for the Halo, a prototype device that lets her extend her training into her sleeping hours. Reality begins to blur when Joanna encounters a stranger named Elliot (Jacinto) and finds herself caught between her exhilarating new dreams and her pursuit of Olympic gold.
Rounding out the cast is Christin Park (Charmed) as Audrey,...
- 2/17/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
With a full year of creative pauses and improvisational workflow behind them, Canadian producers hit the 2021 Toronto festival bullish that in-person screenings and heightened fall fest excitement will focus critics and sales buzz to connect their films with audiences beyond their home turf.
Luc Dery and Kim McCraw of Montreal’s micro_scope, who introduced Denis Villeneuve’s “Incendies” and Philippe Falardeau’s “Monsieur Lazhar” to North American audiences at TIFF, return with Ivan Grbovic’s “Drunken Birds” (pictured), one of eight titles screening in Platform, the festival’s juried competition program.
Jorge Antonio Guerrero (“Roma”) stars as a Mexican drug-cartel worker who falls in love with his boss’s wife and whose pursuit of her lands him in rural Quebec, where he gets mixed up in his host family’s troubles. The film is exec produced by Nicolas Celis (“Roma”), with Wazabi Films selling.
“The marketplace is quite brutal right now,...
Luc Dery and Kim McCraw of Montreal’s micro_scope, who introduced Denis Villeneuve’s “Incendies” and Philippe Falardeau’s “Monsieur Lazhar” to North American audiences at TIFF, return with Ivan Grbovic’s “Drunken Birds” (pictured), one of eight titles screening in Platform, the festival’s juried competition program.
Jorge Antonio Guerrero (“Roma”) stars as a Mexican drug-cartel worker who falls in love with his boss’s wife and whose pursuit of her lands him in rural Quebec, where he gets mixed up in his host family’s troubles. The film is exec produced by Nicolas Celis (“Roma”), with Wazabi Films selling.
“The marketplace is quite brutal right now,...
- 9/10/2021
- by Jennie Punter
- Variety Film + TV
Roster includes Lantern’s Lane, Flee The Light.
Montreal-based WaZabi Films will launch sales on Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) world premiere selections Maria Chapdelaine from Sébastien Pilote and Ivan Grbovic’s Drunken Birds (Les Oiseaux Ivres).
Maria Chapdelaine will screen in Contemporary World Cinema and takes place in rural Quebec in the early 20th century where a teenage girl must choose one of three suitors. Pilote adapted the screenplay from Louis Hémon’s 1913 novel. WaZabi represents worldwide rights excluding Canada, where MK2|Mile End will distribute.
Pierre Even (War Witch) of Item 7 and Sylvain Proulx produced the film, which...
Montreal-based WaZabi Films will launch sales on Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) world premiere selections Maria Chapdelaine from Sébastien Pilote and Ivan Grbovic’s Drunken Birds (Les Oiseaux Ivres).
Maria Chapdelaine will screen in Contemporary World Cinema and takes place in rural Quebec in the early 20th century where a teenage girl must choose one of three suitors. Pilote adapted the screenplay from Louis Hémon’s 1913 novel. WaZabi represents worldwide rights excluding Canada, where MK2|Mile End will distribute.
Pierre Even (War Witch) of Item 7 and Sylvain Proulx produced the film, which...
- 8/25/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Screen Media has acquired “Best Sellers,” a comedy with Michael Caine and Aubrey Plaza about a pair of misfits that has a literary twist. The deal is for all U.S. rights, and the company plans to release the film theatrically and on-demand in September.
Directed by Lina Roessler (“Little Whispers: The Vow”), “Best Sellers” centers on an ambitious young editor (Plaza) who decides to try to save the flailing publishing house her father left her by going on a book tour with the bitter, hard-drinking author (Caine) who helped establish the company several decades and an ocean of booze ago.
Cary Elwes, Scott Speedman, Ellen Wong and Veronica Ferres co-star in the film. The screenplay, written by Anthony Grieco, won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting award.
“Not since ‘As Good as it Gets’ have we seen such a mismatched pair take to the road,” said Screen Media in a statement.
Directed by Lina Roessler (“Little Whispers: The Vow”), “Best Sellers” centers on an ambitious young editor (Plaza) who decides to try to save the flailing publishing house her father left her by going on a book tour with the bitter, hard-drinking author (Caine) who helped establish the company several decades and an ocean of booze ago.
Cary Elwes, Scott Speedman, Ellen Wong and Veronica Ferres co-star in the film. The screenplay, written by Anthony Grieco, won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting award.
“Not since ‘As Good as it Gets’ have we seen such a mismatched pair take to the road,” said Screen Media in a statement.
- 7/12/2021
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Indie stalwart Cassian Elwes is making a move into management via his Elevated banner, kicking off with signing Best Sellers director Lina Roessler, whose debut feature starring Michael Caine and Aubrey Plaza screened in the Berlin Film Festival’s Special Gala section this week. It’s the first time the film producer and former co-head of William Morris Independent has moved into the management space.
Coming off the back of producing Best Sellers with his daughter Arielle – also a first working partnership between the two – the father-daughter duo are currently in the early stages of development with Roessler’s next project, said to be an “ambitious” and “wildly different” one from her feature debut.
Elwes, who has produced eight films with female directors in the last 20 months, said that while the initial round of management signings are female helmers, the plan is to include male talent as well. He...
Coming off the back of producing Best Sellers with his daughter Arielle – also a first working partnership between the two – the father-daughter duo are currently in the early stages of development with Roessler’s next project, said to be an “ambitious” and “wildly different” one from her feature debut.
Elwes, who has produced eight films with female directors in the last 20 months, said that while the initial round of management signings are female helmers, the plan is to include male talent as well. He...
- 3/5/2021
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
“Best Sellers,” a Berlinale Special Gala screener and debut feature from Lina Roessler, has scored deals from major territories, which were announced by film’s sales outfit Foresight Unlimited at the European Film Market.
Universal Pictures Content Group has acquired major markets including the U.K., Germany, France and Latin America, among others. Other territories sold include Australia (Rialto), Cis (Top Film), Greece (Tanweer), Iceland (Myndform), Israel (Red Cape), the Middle East (Salim Ramia), Portugal (Lusomundo) and Turkey (Mars Cgv).
Films stars Michael Caine, Aubrey Plaza, Scott Speedman, Ellen Wong and Cary Elwes. Anthony Grieco wrote the screenplay, which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting award. “Best Sellers” revolves around an ambitious young editor (Plaza) who goes on a wild book tour with a curmudgeonly has-been author (Caine), who just wants to live out his days in peace with a bottle of scotch and his cat.
Foresight Unlimited, a Chicken...
Universal Pictures Content Group has acquired major markets including the U.K., Germany, France and Latin America, among others. Other territories sold include Australia (Rialto), Cis (Top Film), Greece (Tanweer), Iceland (Myndform), Israel (Red Cape), the Middle East (Salim Ramia), Portugal (Lusomundo) and Turkey (Mars Cgv).
Films stars Michael Caine, Aubrey Plaza, Scott Speedman, Ellen Wong and Cary Elwes. Anthony Grieco wrote the screenplay, which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting award. “Best Sellers” revolves around an ambitious young editor (Plaza) who goes on a wild book tour with a curmudgeonly has-been author (Caine), who just wants to live out his days in peace with a bottle of scotch and his cat.
Foresight Unlimited, a Chicken...
- 3/3/2021
- by Carole Horst
- Variety Film + TV
The Cannes Marché du Film, along with a sales initiative led by Hollywood agencies, is hosting the first major virtual market since the start of pandemic, starting on June 23. Distributors and sales agents are looking forward to it: the turn-up for the online Cannes Marché du Film is significant with more than 7,000 accredited participants as of mid-June.
“As nobody can leave their house, a virtual market is the next best thing. It’s a valid and worthwhile effort … people need something to initiate interactions. If this virtual market can help in some way to stimulate business that’s a great thing,” says Dylan Leiner at Sony Pictures Classics.
Here’s a look at some key titles for sale:
“Balestra”
Director: Nicole Dorsey
Producers: Pierre Even
A disgraced competitive fencer (Tessa Thompson) is aiming for her Olympic comeback. She receives a prototype device allowing her to extend her training into her...
“As nobody can leave their house, a virtual market is the next best thing. It’s a valid and worthwhile effort … people need something to initiate interactions. If this virtual market can help in some way to stimulate business that’s a great thing,” says Dylan Leiner at Sony Pictures Classics.
Here’s a look at some key titles for sale:
“Balestra”
Director: Nicole Dorsey
Producers: Pierre Even
A disgraced competitive fencer (Tessa Thompson) is aiming for her Olympic comeback. She receives a prototype device allowing her to extend her training into her...
- 6/23/2020
- by Carole Horst
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Westworld and Creed star Tessa Thompson is to star with Marwan Kenzari (Aladdin) in psychological thriller Balestra, which Mister Smith, Endeavor Content and CAA Media Finance will be shopping during next week’s Cannes virtual market.
Thompson will also executive-produce the film, which will be directed by Nicole Dorsey (Black Conflux).
Balestra follows disgraced competitive fencer Joanna Bathory (Thompson), who is desperately hoping for an Olympic comeback. Pressured by her husband and coach Rafe, she receives a prototype device allowing her to extend her training into her sleeping hours. By day she’s on the piste, and by night she’s lucid dreaming. But reality begins to blur when she encounters a stranger named Elliot (Kenzari) and gets caught in her own web of subconscious desires and unfulfilling reality.
The film is being produced by Pierre Even (The Hummingbird Project). Also serving as executive producers will be Aron Eli Coleite...
Thompson will also executive-produce the film, which will be directed by Nicole Dorsey (Black Conflux).
Balestra follows disgraced competitive fencer Joanna Bathory (Thompson), who is desperately hoping for an Olympic comeback. Pressured by her husband and coach Rafe, she receives a prototype device allowing her to extend her training into her sleeping hours. By day she’s on the piste, and by night she’s lucid dreaming. But reality begins to blur when she encounters a stranger named Elliot (Kenzari) and gets caught in her own web of subconscious desires and unfulfilling reality.
The film is being produced by Pierre Even (The Hummingbird Project). Also serving as executive producers will be Aron Eli Coleite...
- 6/15/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Brussels-based company Best Friend Forever has acquired international sales rights to Caroline Monnet’s feature debut “Bootlegger” which won best screenplay at Cannes’ Cinefondation in 2017.
A well-known contemporary artist, Monnet has shed light on Indigenous identity and has debunked stereotypes through her works, which have been shown at the Whitney Biennial in New York, Palais de Tokyo in Paris, Haus der Kulturen in Berlin, Aesthetica in London and the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art, among many other places. Monnet has also earned critical acclaim with her short films, six of which played at Toronto. She also directed the 2016 short “Mobilize,” which world premiered at Sundance.
Currently in post-production, “Bootlegger” was written by Monnet and Daniel Watchorn. Set in contemporary Northern Quebec, the film follows Mani, an ambitious lawyer in her 20s who heads back to her remote Indigenous community to help her people free themselves from outdated paternalistic laws, leading...
A well-known contemporary artist, Monnet has shed light on Indigenous identity and has debunked stereotypes through her works, which have been shown at the Whitney Biennial in New York, Palais de Tokyo in Paris, Haus der Kulturen in Berlin, Aesthetica in London and the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art, among many other places. Monnet has also earned critical acclaim with her short films, six of which played at Toronto. She also directed the 2016 short “Mobilize,” which world premiered at Sundance.
Currently in post-production, “Bootlegger” was written by Monnet and Daniel Watchorn. Set in contemporary Northern Quebec, the film follows Mani, an ambitious lawyer in her 20s who heads back to her remote Indigenous community to help her people free themselves from outdated paternalistic laws, leading...
- 2/21/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Cary Elwes has joined Lina Roessler’s feature directorial debut Best Sellers starring Michael Caine and Aubrey Plaza.
Movie follows Caine as a has-been author on a wild book tour with his young editor played by Plaza. She’s trying to save her father’s boutique publishing house, but Caine’s character would prefer to live out his days with a bottle of scotch, a cigar and his orange Tabby cat. Elwes will play Halpren Nolan, a New York Times book critic. Production is already underway in Montreal.
Elwes broke out in the classic Rob Reiner comedy The Princess Bride and went on to star in such movies as Kiss the Girls, Saw, Glory, Days of Thunder, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, New Year’s Eve and most recently Blumhouse’s Black Christmas. He currently stars in season 3 of Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as Gavin Hawk and also...
Movie follows Caine as a has-been author on a wild book tour with his young editor played by Plaza. She’s trying to save her father’s boutique publishing house, but Caine’s character would prefer to live out his days with a bottle of scotch, a cigar and his orange Tabby cat. Elwes will play Halpren Nolan, a New York Times book critic. Production is already underway in Montreal.
Elwes broke out in the classic Rob Reiner comedy The Princess Bride and went on to star in such movies as Kiss the Girls, Saw, Glory, Days of Thunder, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, New Year’s Eve and most recently Blumhouse’s Black Christmas. He currently stars in season 3 of Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as Gavin Hawk and also...
- 12/19/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Ellen Wong has joined the Michael Caine-Aubrey Plaza comedy Best Sellers. The pic follows Caine as a has-been author on a wild book tour with his young editor, Plaza as she’s trying to save her father’s boutique publishing house. Caine’s miserable and sharp-witted author just wants to live out his days in peace with a bottle of scotch, a cigar and his orange Tabby cat, but Plaza’s hopeful editor pulls him out of his reclusion. Wong will play the role of Rachel Spence. Wong broke out in Universal’s Edgar Wright cult pic Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World as Knives Chow and is renowned for playing femme wrestler Jenny Chey in the Netflix Emmy-winning and Golden Globe nominated comedy series Glow. A Scarborough, Ontario, Canada native, Wong’s first role was on the award winning television series This Is Wonderland. She is repped...
- 12/18/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Foresight Unlimited handles foreign sales, producer Cassian Elwes represents Us rights.
Scott Speedman from the Underworld fantasy action franchise has joined Michael Caine and Aubrey Plaza on UK-Canada co-production Best Sellers, which is set to commence shooting in Montreal this month.
Foresight Unlimited handles foreign sales, and producer Cassian Elwes will represent Us rights on Lina Roessler’s feature directorial debut about an ambitious young editor (Plaza) at a struggling boutique pusher who goes on a wild book tour with a curmudgeonly author past his prime (Caine).
Speedman will portray the heir to a rival publishing firm that is looking...
Scott Speedman from the Underworld fantasy action franchise has joined Michael Caine and Aubrey Plaza on UK-Canada co-production Best Sellers, which is set to commence shooting in Montreal this month.
Foresight Unlimited handles foreign sales, and producer Cassian Elwes will represent Us rights on Lina Roessler’s feature directorial debut about an ambitious young editor (Plaza) at a struggling boutique pusher who goes on a wild book tour with a curmudgeonly author past his prime (Caine).
Speedman will portray the heir to a rival publishing firm that is looking...
- 11/8/2019
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Aubrey Plaza is joining Oscar-winning actor Michael Caine in Lina Roessler’s feature directorial debut Best Sellers.
The story follows a has-been author, played by Caine, who is on a wild book tour with a young editor, Plaza, trying to save her father’s boutique publishing house. Caine’s miserable and sharp-witted author just wants to live out his days in peace with a bottle of scotch, a cigar, and his orange Tabby cat, but Plaza’s hopeful editor pulls him out of his reclusion.
The project is based on Anthony Grieco’s original screenplay which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting award, and will be an official Canada-uk co-production, produced by Arielle Elwes (Braid), Cassian Elwes, Petr Jákl and Wayne Marc Godfrey on the UK side and Jonathan Vanger (Wishing Tree Productions: Miss Sloane) and Pierre Even on the Canadian side. EPs include Martin Barab, Jere Hausfater, and Mark Damon. Adam Goldworm is also an Executive Producer
Foresight Unlimited handled foreign sales, while Elwes will handle the domestic sale. Cameras roll this month.
Roessler is a Canadian actor, writer and director. Her previous short films Little Whispers: The Vow and Winter have won several awards and screened at prestigious festivals around the globe. Her feature script, The Rescuer, recently placed in top selections across a number of Canadian competitions and is one of ten scripts selected to partake in the 2019 Tiff Writers’ Studio.
Plaza recently wrapped production on the feature, Black Bear, a suspenseful meta-drama, which she produced and stars in opposite Christopher Abbott and Sarah Gadon. Also upcoming for Plaza is the Netflix feature Hope from New Zealand duo Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami. The Parks and Recreation actress’ other feature film credits include: this past summer’s Child’s Play, Matt Spicer’s critically acclaimed, Ingrid Goes West (which she produced and received a 2018 Film Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature), Jeff Baena’s The Little Hours (also producer), Hal Hartley’s Ned Rifle, Colin Trevorrow’s Safety Not Guaranteed, Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Judd Apatow’s Funny People, among others. On television, Plaza most recently starred in Noah Hawley’s Legion on FX. Additionally, she hosted the 2019 Film Independent Spirit Awards.
Plaza is repped by CAA, Mgmt Entertainment, and Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham Llp.
The story follows a has-been author, played by Caine, who is on a wild book tour with a young editor, Plaza, trying to save her father’s boutique publishing house. Caine’s miserable and sharp-witted author just wants to live out his days in peace with a bottle of scotch, a cigar, and his orange Tabby cat, but Plaza’s hopeful editor pulls him out of his reclusion.
The project is based on Anthony Grieco’s original screenplay which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting award, and will be an official Canada-uk co-production, produced by Arielle Elwes (Braid), Cassian Elwes, Petr Jákl and Wayne Marc Godfrey on the UK side and Jonathan Vanger (Wishing Tree Productions: Miss Sloane) and Pierre Even on the Canadian side. EPs include Martin Barab, Jere Hausfater, and Mark Damon. Adam Goldworm is also an Executive Producer
Foresight Unlimited handled foreign sales, while Elwes will handle the domestic sale. Cameras roll this month.
Roessler is a Canadian actor, writer and director. Her previous short films Little Whispers: The Vow and Winter have won several awards and screened at prestigious festivals around the globe. Her feature script, The Rescuer, recently placed in top selections across a number of Canadian competitions and is one of ten scripts selected to partake in the 2019 Tiff Writers’ Studio.
Plaza recently wrapped production on the feature, Black Bear, a suspenseful meta-drama, which she produced and stars in opposite Christopher Abbott and Sarah Gadon. Also upcoming for Plaza is the Netflix feature Hope from New Zealand duo Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami. The Parks and Recreation actress’ other feature film credits include: this past summer’s Child’s Play, Matt Spicer’s critically acclaimed, Ingrid Goes West (which she produced and received a 2018 Film Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature), Jeff Baena’s The Little Hours (also producer), Hal Hartley’s Ned Rifle, Colin Trevorrow’s Safety Not Guaranteed, Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Judd Apatow’s Funny People, among others. On television, Plaza most recently starred in Noah Hawley’s Legion on FX. Additionally, she hosted the 2019 Film Independent Spirit Awards.
Plaza is repped by CAA, Mgmt Entertainment, and Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham Llp.
- 11/5/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Michael Caine is set to star in comedy “Best Sellers,” it was announced by Foresight Unlimited on Wednesday. Foresight is handling international sales on the Canada-u.K. co-production and will introduce the project to buyers at the Cannes Market.
The double Oscar-winner will star as a cantankerous, sharp-witted, has-been author whose goal is to live out his days in peace with a bottle of scotch, a cigar and his cat. However, an ambitious young editor embarks on a wild book tour with the author in a last-ditch attempt to save a boutique publishing house. Shooting in Canada is scheduled to begin in mid-July. Further casting is yet to be announced.
“Best Sellers” is the directorial debut of Canadian actor Lina Roessler from an original screenplay by Anthony Grieco. It is produced by Arielle Elwes, Cassian Elwes, Petr Jákl, Wayne Marc Godfrey, Jonathan Vanger, and Pierre Even. Martin Barab, Jere Hausfater,...
The double Oscar-winner will star as a cantankerous, sharp-witted, has-been author whose goal is to live out his days in peace with a bottle of scotch, a cigar and his cat. However, an ambitious young editor embarks on a wild book tour with the author in a last-ditch attempt to save a boutique publishing house. Shooting in Canada is scheduled to begin in mid-July. Further casting is yet to be announced.
“Best Sellers” is the directorial debut of Canadian actor Lina Roessler from an original screenplay by Anthony Grieco. It is produced by Arielle Elwes, Cassian Elwes, Petr Jákl, Wayne Marc Godfrey, Jonathan Vanger, and Pierre Even. Martin Barab, Jere Hausfater,...
- 5/15/2019
- by Robert Mitchell
- Variety Film + TV
Foresight Unlimited and Cassian Elwes represents for sales in Cannes.
Michael Caine will star as a miserable has-been author in Best Sellers, which Foresight Unlimited and Cassian Elwes represent for sales in Cannes.
Lina Roessler makes her feature directorial debut from Anthony Grieco’s original screenplay that won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting award.
Production is set to commence in mid-July in Canada on the official Canada-uk co-production about an ambitious young editor at a struggling boutique pusher who goes on a wild book tour with a miserable, sharp-witted, has-been author who wants nothing more than to live out his...
Michael Caine will star as a miserable has-been author in Best Sellers, which Foresight Unlimited and Cassian Elwes represent for sales in Cannes.
Lina Roessler makes her feature directorial debut from Anthony Grieco’s original screenplay that won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting award.
Production is set to commence in mid-July in Canada on the official Canada-uk co-production about an ambitious young editor at a struggling boutique pusher who goes on a wild book tour with a miserable, sharp-witted, has-been author who wants nothing more than to live out his...
- 5/15/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Oscar-winning actor Michael Caine will star in Best Sellers, the directorial feature debut of Lina Roessler.
Pic follows a has-been author, played by Caine, who is on a wild book tour with a young editor trying to save his boutique publishing house. Caine’s author is miserable and sharp-witted and just wants to live out his days in peace with a bottle of scotch, a cigar, and his orange Tabby cat.
The project is based on Anthony Grieco’s original screenplay which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting award, and will be an official Canada-uk co-production, produced by Arielle Elwes (Braid), Cassian Elwes, Petr Jákl and Wayne Marc Godfrey on the UK side and Jonathan Vanger (Wishing Tree Productions: Miss Sloane) and Pierre Even on the Canadian side.
Pic follows a has-been author, played by Caine, who is on a wild book tour with a young editor trying to save his boutique publishing house. Caine’s author is miserable and sharp-witted and just wants to live out his days in peace with a bottle of scotch, a cigar, and his orange Tabby cat.
The project is based on Anthony Grieco’s original screenplay which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting award, and will be an official Canada-uk co-production, produced by Arielle Elwes (Braid), Cassian Elwes, Petr Jákl and Wayne Marc Godfrey on the UK side and Jonathan Vanger (Wishing Tree Productions: Miss Sloane) and Pierre Even on the Canadian side.
- 5/15/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Cannes legend Michael Caine has marked his 2019 return to the Croisette via a new project in the festival market.
The Oscar winner is set to star in Best Sellers, which will mark the directorial debut of Lina Roessler.
Based on Anthony Grieco’s original screenplay, which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting award, Best Sellers will be an official Canada-u.K. co-production, produced by Arielle Elwes (Braid), Cassian Elwes (Mudbound), Petr Jákl (xXx) and Wayne Marc Godfrey (The Foreigner, Wind River) on the U.K. side and Jonathan Vanger (Miss Sloane) and Pierre Even (The Hummingbird Project) on the ...
The Oscar winner is set to star in Best Sellers, which will mark the directorial debut of Lina Roessler.
Based on Anthony Grieco’s original screenplay, which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting award, Best Sellers will be an official Canada-u.K. co-production, produced by Arielle Elwes (Braid), Cassian Elwes (Mudbound), Petr Jákl (xXx) and Wayne Marc Godfrey (The Foreigner, Wind River) on the U.K. side and Jonathan Vanger (Miss Sloane) and Pierre Even (The Hummingbird Project) on the ...
- 5/15/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cannes legend Michael Caine has marked his 2019 return to the Croisette via a new project in the festival market.
The Oscar winner is set to star in Best Sellers, which will mark the directorial debut of Lina Roessler.
Based on Anthony Grieco’s original screenplay, which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting award, Best Sellers will be an official Canada-u.K. co-production, produced by Arielle Elwes (Braid), Cassian Elwes (Mudbound), Petr Jákl (xXx) and Wayne Marc Godfrey (The Foreigner, Wind River) on the U.K. side and Jonathan Vanger (Miss Sloane) and Pierre Even (The Hummingbird Project) on the ...
The Oscar winner is set to star in Best Sellers, which will mark the directorial debut of Lina Roessler.
Based on Anthony Grieco’s original screenplay, which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting award, Best Sellers will be an official Canada-u.K. co-production, produced by Arielle Elwes (Braid), Cassian Elwes (Mudbound), Petr Jákl (xXx) and Wayne Marc Godfrey (The Foreigner, Wind River) on the U.K. side and Jonathan Vanger (Miss Sloane) and Pierre Even (The Hummingbird Project) on the ...
- 5/15/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
With fortunes made in milliseconds, the stakes are fast and high in The Hummingbird Project, the new financial thriller from director Kim Nguyen. Here’s the first trailer for the upcoming film starring Jesse Eisenberg, Alexander Skarsgård and Salma Hayek.
The logline: In this modern epic, Kim Nguyen exposes the ruthless edge of our increasingly digital world. Cousins from New York, Vincent (Eisenberg) and Anton (Skarsgård) are players in the high-stakes game of High Frequency Trading, where winning is measured in milliseconds. Their dream? To build a fiber-optic cable straight line between Kansas and New Jersey, making them millions. But nothing is straightforward for this flawed pair. Anton is the brains, Vincent is the hustler, and together they push each other and everyone around them to breaking point on their quixotic adventure. Constantly breathing down their necks is their old boss Eva Torres (Hayek) a powerful, intoxicating and manipulative trader...
The logline: In this modern epic, Kim Nguyen exposes the ruthless edge of our increasingly digital world. Cousins from New York, Vincent (Eisenberg) and Anton (Skarsgård) are players in the high-stakes game of High Frequency Trading, where winning is measured in milliseconds. Their dream? To build a fiber-optic cable straight line between Kansas and New Jersey, making them millions. But nothing is straightforward for this flawed pair. Anton is the brains, Vincent is the hustler, and together they push each other and everyone around them to breaking point on their quixotic adventure. Constantly breathing down their necks is their old boss Eva Torres (Hayek) a powerful, intoxicating and manipulative trader...
- 1/18/2019
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The Orchard has acquired the U.S. rights to Kim Nguyen’s “The Hummingbird Project,” which stars Jesse Eisenberg, Alexander Skarsgard, Michael Mando and Salma Hayek.
Brian Kavanaugh-Jones (“Loving”) and Fred Berger (“La La Land”) of Automatik are executive producers on the project. Pierre Even produced. It’s an Item 7 co-production with Belgian’s Belga Productions.
The Orchard is planning a release for early 2019.
Also Read: Jamie Bell's 'Skin' Lands at A24, DirecTV for Domestic Rights
“The Hummingbird Project” follows cousins from New York (Eisenberg and Skarsgard) who are high players in the game of High Frequency Trading. Their dream is to build a fiber-optic cable between Kansas and New Jersey which would make them millionaires — and they will let nothing stop them in the process.
“We are thrilled to be working with Paul Davidson and his team at Orchard,” said Nguen and Even. “They showed a true understanding...
Brian Kavanaugh-Jones (“Loving”) and Fred Berger (“La La Land”) of Automatik are executive producers on the project. Pierre Even produced. It’s an Item 7 co-production with Belgian’s Belga Productions.
The Orchard is planning a release for early 2019.
Also Read: Jamie Bell's 'Skin' Lands at A24, DirecTV for Domestic Rights
“The Hummingbird Project” follows cousins from New York (Eisenberg and Skarsgard) who are high players in the game of High Frequency Trading. Their dream is to build a fiber-optic cable between Kansas and New Jersey which would make them millionaires — and they will let nothing stop them in the process.
“We are thrilled to be working with Paul Davidson and his team at Orchard,” said Nguen and Even. “They showed a true understanding...
- 9/11/2018
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
HanWay handles international on The Hummingbird Project.
The Orchard has picked up Us rights to Kim Nguyen’s The Hummingbird Project in Toronto, while Neon has acquired doc The Biggest Little Farm in its third Toronto buy.
The Orchard plans an early 2019 release on Nguyen’s drama, which stars Jesse Eisenberg and Alexander Skarsgård as cousins who try to build a fibre-optic cable between Kansas and New Jersey, while Salma Hayek plays their manipulative former boss who tries to beat them at their own game. Michael Mando also stars.
Danielle Digiacomo negotiated the deal with CAA on behalf of the filmmakers,...
The Orchard has picked up Us rights to Kim Nguyen’s The Hummingbird Project in Toronto, while Neon has acquired doc The Biggest Little Farm in its third Toronto buy.
The Orchard plans an early 2019 release on Nguyen’s drama, which stars Jesse Eisenberg and Alexander Skarsgård as cousins who try to build a fibre-optic cable between Kansas and New Jersey, while Salma Hayek plays their manipulative former boss who tries to beat them at their own game. Michael Mando also stars.
Danielle Digiacomo negotiated the deal with CAA on behalf of the filmmakers,...
- 9/11/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: The Orchard has taken U.S. rights to Kim Nguyen’s Toronto International Film Festival premiere drama The Hummingbird Project which tells the story of the Zaleski cousins, played by Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg and Emmy-Golden Globe winner Alexander Skarsgård, who ambitiously abandon their high-frequency day-trading NYC jobs to build a fiber optic line from New Jersey to Kansas.
As they spend millions to construct, their former boss played by Frida Oscar and Golden Globe nominee Salma Hayek is hot on their tale trying to close them down. Better Call Saul‘s Michael Mando stars as the fiber optic architect who helps the Zaleskis figure it all out. Skarsgård’s Anton is the brains and Eisenberg’s Vincent is the hustler and together they push each other and everyone around them to breaking point on their quixotic adventure to build a line that will outdo all others in a matter of milliseconds.
As they spend millions to construct, their former boss played by Frida Oscar and Golden Globe nominee Salma Hayek is hot on their tale trying to close them down. Better Call Saul‘s Michael Mando stars as the fiber optic architect who helps the Zaleskis figure it all out. Skarsgård’s Anton is the brains and Eisenberg’s Vincent is the hustler and together they push each other and everyone around them to breaking point on their quixotic adventure to build a line that will outdo all others in a matter of milliseconds.
- 9/11/2018
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Emerging Producer Award renamed Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer Award.
The Canadian Media Producers Association (Cmpa) on Tuesday (August 21) announced the nominees for the 2018 Indiescreen Awards, which will kick off the Tiff Industry Conference on September 6.
The Cmpa, which represents the country’s independent producers, also announced that its Emerging Producer Award will be renamed the Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer Award in honour of the producer of Bon Cop Bad Cop and The Trotsky who died last spring.
“This year’s Indiescreen Awards nominees have each made important contributions to the rich fabric of our national cinematic tapestry,” said Cmpa president and CEO Reynolds Mastin.
The Canadian Media Producers Association (Cmpa) on Tuesday (August 21) announced the nominees for the 2018 Indiescreen Awards, which will kick off the Tiff Industry Conference on September 6.
The Cmpa, which represents the country’s independent producers, also announced that its Emerging Producer Award will be renamed the Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer Award in honour of the producer of Bon Cop Bad Cop and The Trotsky who died last spring.
“This year’s Indiescreen Awards nominees have each made important contributions to the rich fabric of our national cinematic tapestry,” said Cmpa president and CEO Reynolds Mastin.
- 8/21/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Vera Farmiga will join Jamie Bell in the drama Skin.
Based on the life of Bryon “Pitbull” Widner (Bell), Skin follows a member of a Neo-Nazi gang who faces deadly consequences when he makes the decision to change his life. Farmiga will play the maternal leader of the notorious and violent skinhead gang from which Widner removes himself.
Guy Nattiv is set to direct the drama that also stars Patti Cake$ breakout Danielle Macdonald.
Al Corley, Bart Rosenblatt and Eugene Musso are producing for Code Entertainment, along with Oren Moverman, Jaime Ray Newman and Nattiv. Jonathan Dana and Item 7’s Marie-Claude Poulin and Pierre Even will executive produce.
Farmiga,...
Based on the life of Bryon “Pitbull” Widner (Bell), Skin follows a member of a Neo-Nazi gang who faces deadly consequences when he makes the decision to change his life. Farmiga will play the maternal leader of the notorious and violent skinhead gang from which Widner removes himself.
Guy Nattiv is set to direct the drama that also stars Patti Cake$ breakout Danielle Macdonald.
Al Corley, Bart Rosenblatt and Eugene Musso are producing for Code Entertainment, along with Oren Moverman, Jaime Ray Newman and Nattiv. Jonathan Dana and Item 7’s Marie-Claude Poulin and Pierre Even will executive produce.
Farmiga,...
- 3/2/2018
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Patti Cake$ breakout star Macdonald on board Seville International Cannes sales title.
Seville International will launch pre-sales in Cannes on prestige drama Skin, a true story about the redemption of a Neo-Nazi that pairs Jamie Bell with Danielle Macdonald from Sundance breakout and Directors’ Fortnight entry Patti Cake$.
Guy Nattiv will direct the true story based on the life of Bryon ‘Pitbull’ Widner, a violent gang enforcer who is decorated in facial tattoos for committing hate crimes.
Skin will recount how Widner falls in love with a mother of three daughters outside the gang and turns his back on the gang, resulting in the arrest of its leaders.
As he embarks on his new life, the former gang member receives a $70,000 gift from a Holocaust survivor to pay for painful surgery to remove his facial tattoos.
Skin marks the fourth feature from Nattiv, whose The Flood (Mabul) won the Generation Kplus – Best Feature Film at the...
Seville International will launch pre-sales in Cannes on prestige drama Skin, a true story about the redemption of a Neo-Nazi that pairs Jamie Bell with Danielle Macdonald from Sundance breakout and Directors’ Fortnight entry Patti Cake$.
Guy Nattiv will direct the true story based on the life of Bryon ‘Pitbull’ Widner, a violent gang enforcer who is decorated in facial tattoos for committing hate crimes.
Skin will recount how Widner falls in love with a mother of three daughters outside the gang and turns his back on the gang, resulting in the arrest of its leaders.
As he embarks on his new life, the former gang member receives a $70,000 gift from a Holocaust survivor to pay for painful surgery to remove his facial tattoos.
Skin marks the fourth feature from Nattiv, whose The Flood (Mabul) won the Generation Kplus – Best Feature Film at the...
- 5/10/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Patti Cake$ breakout star Macdonald on board Seville International Cannes sales title.
Seville International will launch pre-sales in Cannes on prestige drama Skin, a true story about the redemption of a Neo-Nazi that pairs Jamie Bell with Danielle Macdonald from Sundance breakout and Directors’ Fortnight entry Patti Cake$.
Guy Nattiv will direct the true story based on the life of Bryon ‘Pitbull’ Widner, a violent gang enforcer who is decorated in facial tattoos for committing hate crimes.
Skin will recount how Widner falls in love with a mother of three daughters outside the gang and turns his back on the gang, resulting in the arrest of its leaders.
As he embarks on his new life, the former gang member receives a $70,000 gift from a Holocaust survivor to pay for painful surgery to remove his facial tattoos.
Skin marks the fourth feature from Nattiv, whose The Flood (Mabul) won the Generation Kplus – Best Feature Film at the...
Seville International will launch pre-sales in Cannes on prestige drama Skin, a true story about the redemption of a Neo-Nazi that pairs Jamie Bell with Danielle Macdonald from Sundance breakout and Directors’ Fortnight entry Patti Cake$.
Guy Nattiv will direct the true story based on the life of Bryon ‘Pitbull’ Widner, a violent gang enforcer who is decorated in facial tattoos for committing hate crimes.
Skin will recount how Widner falls in love with a mother of three daughters outside the gang and turns his back on the gang, resulting in the arrest of its leaders.
As he embarks on his new life, the former gang member receives a $70,000 gift from a Holocaust survivor to pay for painful surgery to remove his facial tattoos.
Skin marks the fourth feature from Nattiv, whose The Flood (Mabul) won the Generation Kplus – Best Feature Film at the...
- 5/10/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Patti Cake$ breakout Danielle Macdonald on board Seville International Cannes sales title.
Seville International will launch pre-sales in Cannes on prestige drama Skin, a true story about the redemption of a Neo-Nazi that pairs Jamie Bell with Danielle Macdonald from Sundance breakout and Directors’ Fortnight entry Patti Cake$.
Guy Nattiv will direct the true story based on the life of Bryon ‘Pitbull’ Widner, a violent gang enforcer who is decorated in facial tattoos for committing hate crimes.
Skin will recount how Widner falls in love with a mother of three daughters outside the gang and turns his back on the gang, resulting in the arrest of its leaders.
As he embarks on his new life, the former gang member receives a $70,000 gift from a Holocaust survivor to pay for painful surgery to remove his facial tattoos.
Skin marks the fourth feature from Nattiv, whose The Flood (Mabul) won the Generation Kplus – Best Feature Film at the...
Seville International will launch pre-sales in Cannes on prestige drama Skin, a true story about the redemption of a Neo-Nazi that pairs Jamie Bell with Danielle Macdonald from Sundance breakout and Directors’ Fortnight entry Patti Cake$.
Guy Nattiv will direct the true story based on the life of Bryon ‘Pitbull’ Widner, a violent gang enforcer who is decorated in facial tattoos for committing hate crimes.
Skin will recount how Widner falls in love with a mother of three daughters outside the gang and turns his back on the gang, resulting in the arrest of its leaders.
As he embarks on his new life, the former gang member receives a $70,000 gift from a Holocaust survivor to pay for painful surgery to remove his facial tattoos.
Skin marks the fourth feature from Nattiv, whose The Flood (Mabul) won the Generation Kplus – Best Feature Film at the...
- 5/10/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: War Witch and Two Lovers And A Bear director Kim Nguyen is prepping his follow-up, The Hummingbird Project, with Jesse Eisenberg and Alexander Skarsgard set to star in the high-speed drama. Written by Nguyen and produced by Pierre Even of Item 7 in Montreal, the project is exec produced by Brian Kavanaugh-Jones (Loving) and Fred Berger (La La Land) of Automatik. Production is slated to begin in Montreal in October with HanWay handling international sales. CAA…...
- 5/8/2017
- Deadline
HanWay to introduce Kim Nguyen project to international buyers in Cannes.
Jesse Eisenberg and Alexander Skarsgård are set to star in writer-director Kim Nguyen’s The Hummingbird Project.
Eisenberg and Skarsgård will portray two men who take a chance in the world of high frequency trading in order to build a fibre-optic cable straight between Kansas and New Jersey, making them millions.
Pierre Even of Montreal-based Item 7 is producing, while Automatik’s Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Fred Berger will serve as executive producers.
HanWay Films is handling international sales in Cannes and CAA represents Us rights. Production will begin in October in Montreal.
Eisenberg was nominated for an Oscar for The Social Network. He starred in Woody Allen’s Café Society and plays Lex Luthor in Batman Vs. Superman and Justice League.
Alexander Skarsgård will next be seen in Duncan Jones’ Mute and recently wrapped production on The Aftermath and Jeremy Saulnier’s Hold The Dark. He most...
Jesse Eisenberg and Alexander Skarsgård are set to star in writer-director Kim Nguyen’s The Hummingbird Project.
Eisenberg and Skarsgård will portray two men who take a chance in the world of high frequency trading in order to build a fibre-optic cable straight between Kansas and New Jersey, making them millions.
Pierre Even of Montreal-based Item 7 is producing, while Automatik’s Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Fred Berger will serve as executive producers.
HanWay Films is handling international sales in Cannes and CAA represents Us rights. Production will begin in October in Montreal.
Eisenberg was nominated for an Oscar for The Social Network. He starred in Woody Allen’s Café Society and plays Lex Luthor in Batman Vs. Superman and Justice League.
Alexander Skarsgård will next be seen in Duncan Jones’ Mute and recently wrapped production on The Aftermath and Jeremy Saulnier’s Hold The Dark. He most...
- 5/8/2017
- ScreenDaily
Oscar-nominated Toni Collette and Matthew Goode have boarded the indie comedy Birthmarked, now shooting in Montreal.
They play respected scientists who conduct an experiment on three children they hope will revolutionize the understanding of human identity only to discover the true meaning of family. Birthmarked was directed by Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais and has an ensemble cast that includes Andreas Apergis, Michael Smiley, Fionnula Flanagan and Suzanne Clement.
The indie reunites co-producers Pierre Even of Item 7 and Susan Mullen of Parallel Film Productions, both of whom collaborated on the Oscar-nominated drama Brooklyn, which also shot in Montreal. The film is based on...
They play respected scientists who conduct an experiment on three children they hope will revolutionize the understanding of human identity only to discover the true meaning of family. Birthmarked was directed by Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais and has an ensemble cast that includes Andreas Apergis, Michael Smiley, Fionnula Flanagan and Suzanne Clement.
The indie reunites co-producers Pierre Even of Item 7 and Susan Mullen of Parallel Film Productions, both of whom collaborated on the Oscar-nominated drama Brooklyn, which also shot in Montreal. The film is based on...
- 12/8/2016
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Joe Cole [pictured] and Lina El Arabi star in the forthcoming love story from the director of War Witch.
Paris-based Films Distribtion will handle international sales on Kim Nguyen’s forthcoming drama Eye On Juliet.
2011 Screen Star of Tomorrow Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders) will star as a drone operator who falls in love with a young Middle Eastern woman, played by Lina El Arabi (Ne M’Abandonne Pas), who he encounters during a remote mission.
Despite being separated by distance, Cole’s character does everything in his power to help the young girl, who has been promised in marriage to an older man she doesn’t love.
Pierre Even will produce via his company Item 7, who also produced Nguyen’s Oscar-nominated feature War Witch.
Director Nguyen has his latest film Two Lovers And A Bear, starring Dane DeHaan and Tatiana Maslany, premiering in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.
eOne Entertainment subsidary Seville Films will handle the Canadian release of [link...
Paris-based Films Distribtion will handle international sales on Kim Nguyen’s forthcoming drama Eye On Juliet.
2011 Screen Star of Tomorrow Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders) will star as a drone operator who falls in love with a young Middle Eastern woman, played by Lina El Arabi (Ne M’Abandonne Pas), who he encounters during a remote mission.
Despite being separated by distance, Cole’s character does everything in his power to help the young girl, who has been promised in marriage to an older man she doesn’t love.
Pierre Even will produce via his company Item 7, who also produced Nguyen’s Oscar-nominated feature War Witch.
Director Nguyen has his latest film Two Lovers And A Bear, starring Dane DeHaan and Tatiana Maslany, premiering in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.
eOne Entertainment subsidary Seville Films will handle the Canadian release of [link...
- 5/9/2016
- ScreenDaily
Security people aside (I recognized one gentlemen who is part of my daily/yearly Cannes experience), part of the well-oiled machine of the fest is the entire PR personnel. The relaxed, non-rushed, non-competitive setting is a blessing for journalists — it means we’re fortunate to have dibs on all talent attending the fest. Among the folks that were part of the Canadian delegation, I was most interested in speaking to a pair of French Canadian talents who’ve reached far beyond the confines of Quebec.
The sit-downs took place in an epic lieu — the as far as the eye can see La Mamounia garden. I spoke with Oscar nominated War Witch (internationally known as Rebelle) helmer Kim Nguyen and C.R.A.Z.Y producer Pierre Even about their previous international successes and the immediate future. Prior to this, it was a stone’s throw away from my pad to...
The sit-downs took place in an epic lieu — the as far as the eye can see La Mamounia garden. I spoke with Oscar nominated War Witch (internationally known as Rebelle) helmer Kim Nguyen and C.R.A.Z.Y producer Pierre Even about their previous international successes and the immediate future. Prior to this, it was a stone’s throw away from my pad to...
- 12/15/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
While Canadians are days away from hitting the polls to determine the next government, Chloé Robichaud, the filmmaker who broke out with her Cannes Un Certain Regard selected Sarah Prefers to Run is trading the athletic podium for….the political one. Among the new generation of French Canadian female filmmakers, her sophomore effort entitled Pays has its cast in place and is ready to roll. First-timer Nathalie Doummar is joined by Macha Grenon, Yves Jacques, Rémy Girard and Alexandre Landry (Louise Archambault’s Gabrielle) are among those to join the project. To be readied for 2016, the pic is produced by La Boîte à Fanny’s Fanny-Laure Malo (Sarah préfère la course), Item 7’s Pierre Even et Marie-Claude Poulin (Brooklyn) and Morag Loves Company’s Barbara Doran (The Grand Seduction).
Gist: Not imagining herself as a candidate in the federal election, 25 year-old Félixe (Nathalie Doummar) has more difficulty coming to terms after winning her riding.
Gist: Not imagining herself as a candidate in the federal election, 25 year-old Félixe (Nathalie Doummar) has more difficulty coming to terms after winning her riding.
- 10/7/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Screen’s contributing editor Wendy Mitchell talked to the film’s producer Finola Dwyer at The UK Film Centre in Cannes.
Jon Crowley’s upcoming film Brooklyn took Sundance by storm, resulting in a record-breaking bidding war.
“When I read Colm Tóibín’s novel (of the same name), I loved it. I think it’s a universal issue where people live somewhere other than where they were born. But I thought it would be expensive, being based in Ireland and the Us.”
After a fate meeting with Tóibín in New York, the writer agreed to give Dwyer the option rights for the book.
“I immediately got in touch with Nick Hornby, whom I worked with on An Education. We both shared the same vision, and the script came together very quickly.”
Casting was more complicated – with Rooney Mara initially set to play the lead. As the development stage lingered on, she became...
Jon Crowley’s upcoming film Brooklyn took Sundance by storm, resulting in a record-breaking bidding war.
“When I read Colm Tóibín’s novel (of the same name), I loved it. I think it’s a universal issue where people live somewhere other than where they were born. But I thought it would be expensive, being based in Ireland and the Us.”
After a fate meeting with Tóibín in New York, the writer agreed to give Dwyer the option rights for the book.
“I immediately got in touch with Nick Hornby, whom I worked with on An Education. We both shared the same vision, and the script came together very quickly.”
Casting was more complicated – with Rooney Mara initially set to play the lead. As the development stage lingered on, she became...
- 5/19/2015
- ScreenDaily
Freestyle has acquired Us theatrical and digital rights from Myriad Pictures to the rom-com, which Myriad will be selling at the Afm.
Three Night Stand stars Emmanuelle Chriqui, Sam Huntington and Meaghan Rath in the story of a married couple who go to a ski lodge run by the man’s ex-girlfriend.
Pat Kiely wrote and directed Three Night Stand and also produced alongside Rob Vroom. Marie-Claude Poulin and Pierre Even of Item 7 are executive producers with Emily Alden of Pacific Northwest Pictures, Rath and Brian Vroom.
The film was produced with the participation of Telefilm Canada, Sodec, The Movie Network, Movie Central, the Quebec Film and Television Tax Credit, and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit.
Freestyle will release the film theatrically in the Us on January 16, 2015.
The film premiered at the 2013 Whistler Film Festival and received its world premiere at Slamdance earlier this year.
Pacific Northwest Pictures handles distribution of all rights...
Three Night Stand stars Emmanuelle Chriqui, Sam Huntington and Meaghan Rath in the story of a married couple who go to a ski lodge run by the man’s ex-girlfriend.
Pat Kiely wrote and directed Three Night Stand and also produced alongside Rob Vroom. Marie-Claude Poulin and Pierre Even of Item 7 are executive producers with Emily Alden of Pacific Northwest Pictures, Rath and Brian Vroom.
The film was produced with the participation of Telefilm Canada, Sodec, The Movie Network, Movie Central, the Quebec Film and Television Tax Credit, and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit.
Freestyle will release the film theatrically in the Us on January 16, 2015.
The film premiered at the 2013 Whistler Film Festival and received its world premiere at Slamdance earlier this year.
Pacific Northwest Pictures handles distribution of all rights...
- 10/27/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Montreal-based Item 7 has secured a world premiere for its latest film Meetings With A Young Poet and brought on Paris-based Films Distribution to handle sales.
Meetings With A Young Poet will premiere at the International Film Festival Of India that runs until November 30 in Goa.
Rudy Barichello directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Marcel Beaulieu.
Stephen McHattie (pictured, right) stars alongside Maria de Medeiros and Vincent Hoss-Desmarais (pictured, left) in the story of a young poet who forges a deep friendship with Samuel Beckett only to discover more about his mentor after the celebrated writer’s death.
Item 7’s Pierre Even and Marie-Claude Poulin produced the film. Their credits include last year’s Canadian foreign language Oscar submission War Witch and Café de Flore.
Tva Films will distribute Meetings With A Young Poet in Canada in 2014.
The film is produced with financial contributions by Sodec, Telefilm Canada, Quebec film and television tax credit, [link...
Meetings With A Young Poet will premiere at the International Film Festival Of India that runs until November 30 in Goa.
Rudy Barichello directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Marcel Beaulieu.
Stephen McHattie (pictured, right) stars alongside Maria de Medeiros and Vincent Hoss-Desmarais (pictured, left) in the story of a young poet who forges a deep friendship with Samuel Beckett only to discover more about his mentor after the celebrated writer’s death.
Item 7’s Pierre Even and Marie-Claude Poulin produced the film. Their credits include last year’s Canadian foreign language Oscar submission War Witch and Café de Flore.
Tva Films will distribute Meetings With A Young Poet in Canada in 2014.
The film is produced with financial contributions by Sodec, Telefilm Canada, Quebec film and television tax credit, [link...
- 11/22/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Montreal-based Item 7 has secured a world premiere for its latest film Meetings With A Young Poet and bought on Paris-based Films Distribution to handle sales.
Meetings With A Young Poet will premiere at the International Film Festival Of India that runs until November 30 in Goa.
Rudy Barichello directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Marcel Beaulieu.
Stephen McHattie (pictured, right) stars alongside Maria de Medeiros and Vincent Hoss-Desmarais (pictured, left) in the story of a young poet who forges a deep friendship with Samuel Beckett only to discover more about his mentor after the celebrated writer’s death.
Item 7’s Pierre Even and Marie-Claude Poulin produced the film. Their credits include last year’s Canadian foreign language Oscar submission War Witch and Café de Flore.
Tva Films will distribute Meetings With A Young Poet in Canada in 2014.
The film is produced with financial contributions by Sodec, Telefilm Canada, Quebec film and television tax credit, [link...
Meetings With A Young Poet will premiere at the International Film Festival Of India that runs until November 30 in Goa.
Rudy Barichello directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Marcel Beaulieu.
Stephen McHattie (pictured, right) stars alongside Maria de Medeiros and Vincent Hoss-Desmarais (pictured, left) in the story of a young poet who forges a deep friendship with Samuel Beckett only to discover more about his mentor after the celebrated writer’s death.
Item 7’s Pierre Even and Marie-Claude Poulin produced the film. Their credits include last year’s Canadian foreign language Oscar submission War Witch and Café de Flore.
Tva Films will distribute Meetings With A Young Poet in Canada in 2014.
The film is produced with financial contributions by Sodec, Telefilm Canada, Quebec film and television tax credit, [link...
- 11/22/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
We’re back with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes news on the latest episode of Ghost Trek, an announcement for William Pattison’s new novel, Psychotic State, DVD release details for The Colony, a clip from Hitchhiker Massacre, and much more:
Details on Psychotic State: “The plot of Psychotic State tells the story of David Coleman, a bipolar twenty-six year old man who is one of those people that the world likes to pick on. David is bullied and abused by everyone around him, including his adopted father. When David gets fired from his job after a run in with a couple bullies he loses his medical and stops taking his medication. This causes David to go into a psychotic state and in a twisted idea of justice he decides that it is time for him...
Details on Psychotic State: “The plot of Psychotic State tells the story of David Coleman, a bipolar twenty-six year old man who is one of those people that the world likes to pick on. David is bullied and abused by everyone around him, including his adopted father. When David gets fired from his job after a run in with a couple bullies he loses his medical and stops taking his medication. This causes David to go into a psychotic state and in a twisted idea of justice he decides that it is time for him...
- 10/13/2013
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Exclusive: Montreal–based producers Pierre Even and Marie-Claude Poulin are back in business with Kim Nguyen after their collaboration on this year’s Canadian Oscar nominee War Witch.
The Item 7 principals are putting together Origin Of The World as an international co-production and are out to casting with an eye on a first quarter 2014 start.
French-Canadian Nguyen will direct from his screenplay, which is conceived as a triptych and centres on the plight of women in India, the Middle East and North America.
Congo-set War Witch (Rebelle) earned a best foreign language Oscar nomination earlier this year and won 10 Canadian Genie awards including best film, director and screenplay as well as actress for Rachel Mwanza.
Films Distribution handled international sales and Mongrel Media distributed in Canada.
The Item 7 principals are putting together Origin Of The World as an international co-production and are out to casting with an eye on a first quarter 2014 start.
French-Canadian Nguyen will direct from his screenplay, which is conceived as a triptych and centres on the plight of women in India, the Middle East and North America.
Congo-set War Witch (Rebelle) earned a best foreign language Oscar nomination earlier this year and won 10 Canadian Genie awards including best film, director and screenplay as well as actress for Rachel Mwanza.
Films Distribution handled international sales and Mongrel Media distributed in Canada.
- 9/3/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
We return with the latest edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes a trailer for The Banshee Chapter, a new episode of Chronicles of the Dead, details on The Crying Dead, and much more:
Heir First Details: “From Richard Powell and Zach Green’s Fatal Pictures, the company that brought you the critically acclaimed, award winning horror shorts Worm and Familiar, comes their new and final short film “Heir”, a touching tale of father and son. Starring the Emmy award winning Bill Oberst Jr. (Abraham Lincoln Vs. Zombies) and Robert Nolan (Sick, Worm, Familiar).
After connecting with a stranger of similar interests online, family man Gordon and his son Paul, embark on an ill-fated road trip in which Gordon aims to indulge in a secret passion. Before the day ends a horrible truth will be uncovered and a harsh lesson will be learned.
Heir First Details: “From Richard Powell and Zach Green’s Fatal Pictures, the company that brought you the critically acclaimed, award winning horror shorts Worm and Familiar, comes their new and final short film “Heir”, a touching tale of father and son. Starring the Emmy award winning Bill Oberst Jr. (Abraham Lincoln Vs. Zombies) and Robert Nolan (Sick, Worm, Familiar).
After connecting with a stranger of similar interests online, family man Gordon and his son Paul, embark on an ill-fated road trip in which Gordon aims to indulge in a secret passion. Before the day ends a horrible truth will be uncovered and a harsh lesson will be learned.
- 7/28/2013
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Image Entertainment picked up USA release rights to the sci-fi thriller The Colony, which stars Laurence Fishburne. No word yet on a release date, and whether it'll get a theatrical release or head straight to VOD/DVD. Budget at $16 million, the Canadian-produced film is directed by Jeff Renfroe, from a script he co-wrote with Patrick Tarr, Pacal Trottier and Svet Rouskov, and the story centers on a group of underground survivors fighting to survive after the next Ice Age, fending off an invasion of feral cannibals. Bill Paxton co-stars with Fishburne. Paul Barkin, Matthew Cervi and Pierre Even produced. Image...
- 6/21/2013
- by Natasha Greeves
- ShadowAndAct
This Berlin flew by! A good overview is that of Screen Daily and if we're lucky, you can read it here without subscribing. My own activities flowed from two sources:
1) Education: I taught and led tours of the market for Berlinale's Talent Campus Meet the Experts, for Deutsche Welle Akademie Film Festival Workshop, and for Ina Sup, a TV, film and new media school based in France and linked to the French National Audiovisual Institute (Ina). This is the most rewarding work, seeing what talent is coming up in our world, seeing ideas take hold as the students learn about the market.
2) Our Consulting: Another pillar of our company, aside from blogging and professional education, is strategic planning with filmmakers. This Berlinale was very intense and very energizing for my partner Peter Belsito and me, with Beyond the Moonwalk having found a berth for international sales representation with Steve Arroyave's Arrow Entertainment and a U.S. distribution commitment, and more actively involving, with Donna Deitch's The Catcher, where a series of meetings with top German and Canadian producers and sales agents gave the project the momentum of a race horse bound for first place!
What follows are my impressions of various other Berlin events as they passed by -- ever so quickly -- but still with enough eye-catching power to capture my attention in the first place.
I was happy to see Jeff Lipsky and Adopt Films' co-managing executive Tim Grady cleaning up with 3 acquisitions; no time to waste anymore as the third Bingham Ray memorial pointed out to those who have the mind to realize the message. Sister (L'enfant d'en haut) by Ursula Maier (Isa: Memento, Swiss rights with FilmCoopi), I hear is A+, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani's Caesar Must Die (Cesare deve morire) (Isa: Rai Trade) won the Golden Bear, and Chris Petzold's Barbara, all in Competition.
American indie works-in-progress have been granted a second chance to screen for European indie distributors (EuropaDistribution) at the upcoming Paris Film Festival in June. I have been invited to be on the jury of "U.S. in Progress" and am thrilled at the prospect. I was honored to have been invited to be on the jury in Wroclaw at the American Film Festival in November as well, for the first edition of this chance for U.S. filmmakers to win post-production and cash prizes. This is where the film Now, Forager was picked up by fledgling international sales agent, the only international sales agent in Poland, New Europe Sales founded by Jan Naszewski [jnaszewski At gmail.com] and Anja Sosic [anja At NewEuropeFilmSales.com]. The film went on to screen at Rotterdam Film Festival. Even hotter news will be forthcoming from Moma and The New York Film Society's New Directors/ New Films about one of the films at the Aff's "U.S. in Progress". If you missed it in Poland you will be able to see it in New York this April!
I was lucky to see two films during the market and after the market closed, this last Saturday and Sunday, when I caught some more films I was unable to see earlier due to my "real" work. Of the films I saw here in Berlin, here are my unique :) comments for what they're worth.
Children of Srikandi (Panorama) is a very personal account by a female filmmaker collective in Indonesia on what it means to be a lesbian in their society. The sweet intimacy of the film overrides its non-professional veneer (the "filmmakers" were all non-professionals). In fact, this could serve as a template for other non-professionals who want to tell their stories. Schools come to mind as possible candidates for this sort of filmmaking, as does my own pet project, The Literacy Project. The Indonesian contingent here in Berlin was interesting and sociable as they met their audience and fans. They were hosted by Berlin based producers Laura Coppens who is a doctorate student in ethnological studies in Zurich and Angelika Levi, doc filmmaker (My Life, Part 2 about growing up Jewish in Berlin).
Bergman & Magnani: The War of the Volcanos. This invitation-only work in progress with Wide House uses a unique way to show the emotion filled and the biggest jet-set love scandal of all times, the story of Roberto Rossellini, Anna Magnani and Ingrid Bergman as Rosellini and the volcanic Anna Magnani ended their relationship after making Volcano (1950) and the married Ingrid Bergman and Rossellini began theirs with the filming of Stromboli (1950), the name of the second volcano on this Aeolian Island which has been in almost continuous eruption for 2,000 years. The visuals of their stories are illustrated entirely with the scenes from movies starring them as they enact the real life emotions and the commentary of the doc. I am most interested to see how well this technique succeeds.
Paolo and Vittorio Taviani's Caesar Must Die (Isa: Rai Trade) is a moving illustration of the transformative power of art as hardened criminals in an Italian prison rehearse and perform Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. The the 80 + year old Brothers Taviani deserve recognition for their artistic excellence. I can't argue with Mike Leigh and the jury's judgement except that on my emotional meter, Rebelle (War Witch) was the real winner.
Rebelle (War Witch) by Kim Nguyen (Isa: Films Distribution) should have won the Golden Bear. The Silver Bear for Best Actress was awarded to Rachel Mwanza, but this film is so deeply moving on the most primal levels, maintaining its African roots while touching our most sensitive emotions of parents, love, rape, pregnancy and infants as they are experienced by a female child soldier from ages 12 to 14. It should also win Best Foreign Language Film in next year's Academy Awards. Produced by the industry vets Marie-Claude Poulin and Pierre Even, it is yet another feather in the cap of the the Canadian film industry.
Dieter Kosslick observed that with 15 Competition titles confirmed at the time Screen International interviewed him, “both thematically and geographically, we have many films coming this year from Asia, and particularly China and Indonesia. There is also an interesting focus on France this year, beginning with the opening film Farewell My Queen (Les adieux a la reine) (Isa: Elle Driver) and going through all of the festival’s sections. Moreover, we have two French jury members [Francois Ozon and Charlotte Gainsbourg] in the International Jury.“ Eight titles selected to date have German majority or minority participation, so German filmmakers and (co-)producers will again enjoy a record presence in the Competition on a par with 2011’s tally of eight films involving German directors or German production partners." He also notes Competition films' trending toward "times of upheaval and new departures... with many films coming from Africa and Arab countries". My observation of the 23 Competition films finally selected is that the nostalgic look back at European aristocracy and top social tiers (A Royal Affair, Bel Ami, Farewell My Queen) and its mores stands in stark contrast to today's upheavals of families and children (Childish Games, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Postcards from the Zoo, Just the Wind, Mercy, Shadow Dancer, Sister, Rebelle, Home for the Weekend, Jayne Mansfield's Car, Coming Home). Seven other films continue the theme of social upheavals: Tey - which deal with childhood memories of Senegal experienced by an American, Captive about Phillipine hostages, Barbara an Eastern German looking to move to the West, Caesar Must Die about prisoners finding art in their sequestered lives, Flying Swords of Dragon Gate about upheavel during the Ming Dynasty, White Deer Plain about upheavel towards the end of Imperial China, The Flowers of War about the upheavel of China by the Japanese in World War II. The exceptions, Tabu and Meteora, deal with love, the Saving Grace.
Two major disappointments were Steven Soderberg's Haywire (Isa: Mandate) and Stephen Elliott's Cherry. Both about women, they left me puzzled with what the plot was about. Pretty, well done and negligible.
This Berlin Diary Part 2 will continue after I work on my new and soon-to-be launched website! I have spent an entire day on this blog and I still have much more to write!
1) Education: I taught and led tours of the market for Berlinale's Talent Campus Meet the Experts, for Deutsche Welle Akademie Film Festival Workshop, and for Ina Sup, a TV, film and new media school based in France and linked to the French National Audiovisual Institute (Ina). This is the most rewarding work, seeing what talent is coming up in our world, seeing ideas take hold as the students learn about the market.
2) Our Consulting: Another pillar of our company, aside from blogging and professional education, is strategic planning with filmmakers. This Berlinale was very intense and very energizing for my partner Peter Belsito and me, with Beyond the Moonwalk having found a berth for international sales representation with Steve Arroyave's Arrow Entertainment and a U.S. distribution commitment, and more actively involving, with Donna Deitch's The Catcher, where a series of meetings with top German and Canadian producers and sales agents gave the project the momentum of a race horse bound for first place!
What follows are my impressions of various other Berlin events as they passed by -- ever so quickly -- but still with enough eye-catching power to capture my attention in the first place.
I was happy to see Jeff Lipsky and Adopt Films' co-managing executive Tim Grady cleaning up with 3 acquisitions; no time to waste anymore as the third Bingham Ray memorial pointed out to those who have the mind to realize the message. Sister (L'enfant d'en haut) by Ursula Maier (Isa: Memento, Swiss rights with FilmCoopi), I hear is A+, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani's Caesar Must Die (Cesare deve morire) (Isa: Rai Trade) won the Golden Bear, and Chris Petzold's Barbara, all in Competition.
American indie works-in-progress have been granted a second chance to screen for European indie distributors (EuropaDistribution) at the upcoming Paris Film Festival in June. I have been invited to be on the jury of "U.S. in Progress" and am thrilled at the prospect. I was honored to have been invited to be on the jury in Wroclaw at the American Film Festival in November as well, for the first edition of this chance for U.S. filmmakers to win post-production and cash prizes. This is where the film Now, Forager was picked up by fledgling international sales agent, the only international sales agent in Poland, New Europe Sales founded by Jan Naszewski [jnaszewski At gmail.com] and Anja Sosic [anja At NewEuropeFilmSales.com]. The film went on to screen at Rotterdam Film Festival. Even hotter news will be forthcoming from Moma and The New York Film Society's New Directors/ New Films about one of the films at the Aff's "U.S. in Progress". If you missed it in Poland you will be able to see it in New York this April!
I was lucky to see two films during the market and after the market closed, this last Saturday and Sunday, when I caught some more films I was unable to see earlier due to my "real" work. Of the films I saw here in Berlin, here are my unique :) comments for what they're worth.
Children of Srikandi (Panorama) is a very personal account by a female filmmaker collective in Indonesia on what it means to be a lesbian in their society. The sweet intimacy of the film overrides its non-professional veneer (the "filmmakers" were all non-professionals). In fact, this could serve as a template for other non-professionals who want to tell their stories. Schools come to mind as possible candidates for this sort of filmmaking, as does my own pet project, The Literacy Project. The Indonesian contingent here in Berlin was interesting and sociable as they met their audience and fans. They were hosted by Berlin based producers Laura Coppens who is a doctorate student in ethnological studies in Zurich and Angelika Levi, doc filmmaker (My Life, Part 2 about growing up Jewish in Berlin).
Bergman & Magnani: The War of the Volcanos. This invitation-only work in progress with Wide House uses a unique way to show the emotion filled and the biggest jet-set love scandal of all times, the story of Roberto Rossellini, Anna Magnani and Ingrid Bergman as Rosellini and the volcanic Anna Magnani ended their relationship after making Volcano (1950) and the married Ingrid Bergman and Rossellini began theirs with the filming of Stromboli (1950), the name of the second volcano on this Aeolian Island which has been in almost continuous eruption for 2,000 years. The visuals of their stories are illustrated entirely with the scenes from movies starring them as they enact the real life emotions and the commentary of the doc. I am most interested to see how well this technique succeeds.
Paolo and Vittorio Taviani's Caesar Must Die (Isa: Rai Trade) is a moving illustration of the transformative power of art as hardened criminals in an Italian prison rehearse and perform Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. The the 80 + year old Brothers Taviani deserve recognition for their artistic excellence. I can't argue with Mike Leigh and the jury's judgement except that on my emotional meter, Rebelle (War Witch) was the real winner.
Rebelle (War Witch) by Kim Nguyen (Isa: Films Distribution) should have won the Golden Bear. The Silver Bear for Best Actress was awarded to Rachel Mwanza, but this film is so deeply moving on the most primal levels, maintaining its African roots while touching our most sensitive emotions of parents, love, rape, pregnancy and infants as they are experienced by a female child soldier from ages 12 to 14. It should also win Best Foreign Language Film in next year's Academy Awards. Produced by the industry vets Marie-Claude Poulin and Pierre Even, it is yet another feather in the cap of the the Canadian film industry.
Dieter Kosslick observed that with 15 Competition titles confirmed at the time Screen International interviewed him, “both thematically and geographically, we have many films coming this year from Asia, and particularly China and Indonesia. There is also an interesting focus on France this year, beginning with the opening film Farewell My Queen (Les adieux a la reine) (Isa: Elle Driver) and going through all of the festival’s sections. Moreover, we have two French jury members [Francois Ozon and Charlotte Gainsbourg] in the International Jury.“ Eight titles selected to date have German majority or minority participation, so German filmmakers and (co-)producers will again enjoy a record presence in the Competition on a par with 2011’s tally of eight films involving German directors or German production partners." He also notes Competition films' trending toward "times of upheaval and new departures... with many films coming from Africa and Arab countries". My observation of the 23 Competition films finally selected is that the nostalgic look back at European aristocracy and top social tiers (A Royal Affair, Bel Ami, Farewell My Queen) and its mores stands in stark contrast to today's upheavals of families and children (Childish Games, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Postcards from the Zoo, Just the Wind, Mercy, Shadow Dancer, Sister, Rebelle, Home for the Weekend, Jayne Mansfield's Car, Coming Home). Seven other films continue the theme of social upheavals: Tey - which deal with childhood memories of Senegal experienced by an American, Captive about Phillipine hostages, Barbara an Eastern German looking to move to the West, Caesar Must Die about prisoners finding art in their sequestered lives, Flying Swords of Dragon Gate about upheavel during the Ming Dynasty, White Deer Plain about upheavel towards the end of Imperial China, The Flowers of War about the upheavel of China by the Japanese in World War II. The exceptions, Tabu and Meteora, deal with love, the Saving Grace.
Two major disappointments were Steven Soderberg's Haywire (Isa: Mandate) and Stephen Elliott's Cherry. Both about women, they left me puzzled with what the plot was about. Pretty, well done and negligible.
This Berlin Diary Part 2 will continue after I work on my new and soon-to-be launched website! I have spent an entire day on this blog and I still have much more to write!
- 3/10/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Image Entertainment has picked up USA release rights to the sci-fi thriller The Colony, which stars Laurence Fishburne. The $16 milliom Canadian production is directed by Jeff Renfroe, from a script he co-wrote with Patrick Tarr, Pacal Trottier and Svet Rouskov. It centers on a group of underground survivors fighting to survive after the next Ice Age, fending off an invasion of feral cannibals. Bill Paxton co-stars with Fishburne. Paul Barkin, Matthew Cervi and Pierre Even produced. No word on release dates yet. No trailer yet, but here are some on-set photos for the film (and if you squint, you should be able to make out...
- 2/8/2013
- by Courtney
- ShadowAndAct
(thanks to alan of montreal) Best Motion Picture “L’Affaire Dumont” Nicole Robert “Inch’Allah” Luc Déry, Kim McCraw “Laurence Anyways” Lyse Lafontaine “Midnight’s Children” David Hamilton “Rebelle / War Witch” Pierre Even,...
- 1/17/2013
- by Ryan Adams
- AwardsDaily.com
Tribeca Film Festival (Tff) audiences responded enthusiastically to writer/director Kim Nguyen’s child soldier drama War Witch, which received the Founders Award for best narrative feature at the festival. Nguyen earned an even better prize with news today of Tribeca Film acquiring U.S. rights to the drama for a planned theatrical release in early 2013. Nguyen shot the film in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and signed nonprofessional actress Rachel Mwanza to play a 14-year-old girl experiencing a peaceful life for the first time after escaping from the rebels who kidnapped her to become a child soldier. Pierre Even and Marie-Claude Poulin of Montreal-based Item 7 produced the movie.
- 6/13/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Tribeca Film Festival (Tff) audiences responded enthusiastically to writer/director Kim Nguyen’s child soldier drama War Witch, which received the Founders Award for best narrative feature at the festival. Nguyen earned an even better prize with news today of Tribeca Film acquiring U.S. rights to the drama for a planned theatrical release in early 2013. Nguyen shot the film in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and signed nonprofessional actress Rachel Mwanza to play a 14-year-old girl experiencing a peaceful life for the first time after escaping from the rebels who kidnapped her to become a child soldier. Pierre Even and Marie-Claude Poulin of Montreal-based Item 7 produced the movie.
- 6/13/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Toronto – Bill Paxton has joined The Colony, a $16 million Canadian indie feature shooting in Toronto and northern Ontario. Paxton joins Laurence Fishburne and Kevin Zegers as top-liners in the sci-fi thriller about a group of underground survivors after the next Ice Age fending off an invasion of feral cannibals. Jeff Renfroe is directing The Colony, based on a script he co-wrote with Patrick Tarr, Pascal Trottier and Svet Rouskov. Alcina Pictures is producing the Ontario/Quebec co-production with Item 7 and Mad Samurai Productions. Paul Barkin, Colin Brunton, Matthew Cervi, Pierre Even and Marie-Claude
read more...
read more...
- 3/28/2012
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Viggo Mortensen (Sigmund Freud), Michael Fassbender (Carl Jung), A Dangerous Method Monsieur Lazhar Tops Genie Awards Meilleur Film / Best Motion Picture A Dangerous Method – Martin Katz, Marco Mehlitz, Jeremy Thomas CAFÉ De Flore – Pierre Even, Marie-Claude Poulin, Jean-Marc Vallée * Monsieur Lazhar – Luc Déry, Kim McCraw Starbuck – André Rouleau The Whistleblower – Christina Piovesan, Celine Rattray Meilleure RÉALISATION / Achievement In Direction David Cronenberg – A Dangerous Method Steven Silver – The Bang Bang Club Jean-marc VALLÉE – Café de Flore * Philippe Falardeau – Monsieur Lazhar Larysa Kondracki – The Whistleblower Meilleures Images / Achievement In Cinematography Miroslaw Baszak, C.S.C. – The Bang Bang Club Pierre Cottereau – Café de Flore Jon Joffin – Daydream Nation * Jean-FRANÇOIS Lord – Snow & Ashes Ronald Plante – Monsieur Lazhar Meilleur Montage / Achievement In Editing Jean-FRANÇOIS Bergeron – The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom Michael Czarnecki – In Darkness Patrick Demers – Jaloux * STÉPHANE Lafleur – Monsieur Lazhar Ronald Sanders, C.C.E. A.C.E. – A Dangerous Method...
- 3/9/2012
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
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