The 2023 German mini-series A Thin Line is definitely a masterpiece, conveying a strong message about the environmental issues caused due to rapid urbanization. We have come across films and series like Before the Flood and Plastic Ocean with strong messages against environmental damage, but the passion that the characters display in this series is unique and beyond articulation. The love for the environment with which the series has been made rings right through the brilliant portrayal of the motives of the characters. The directors Sabrina Sarabi and Damian John Harper have done justice to the screenplay by putting able actors like Hanna Hilsdorf and Saskia Rosendahl to action. The two sisters, Anna and Benjamina (Benni), are eager to cross their lines in seeking justice against the flawed policies and regulations for the environment. While Benjamina resorts to illegal means to seek justice, Anna stays within the judicial limits and tries to protect her sister.
- 10/27/2023
- by Debjyoti Dey
- Film Fugitives
Medienboard Berlin-Brandenberg will increase the amount it invests in production and VFX companies.
Medienboard Berlin-Brandenberg (Mbb) is to receive a cash injection of €15m from Berlin’s state government to boost the amount it invests in film and TV productions over the next two years, Berlin’s VFX companies and the creation of a new office to administer permits.
This brings Berlin’s total funding for Mbb to €17.2m for 2022 and €17.9m for 2023.
Among the projects now shooting in Berlin and the neighbouring state of Brandenburg are German films Christian Petzold’s Roter Himmel, Barbara Albert’s Mittagsfrau, Simon Verhoeven...
Medienboard Berlin-Brandenberg (Mbb) is to receive a cash injection of €15m from Berlin’s state government to boost the amount it invests in film and TV productions over the next two years, Berlin’s VFX companies and the creation of a new office to administer permits.
This brings Berlin’s total funding for Mbb to €17.2m for 2022 and €17.9m for 2023.
Among the projects now shooting in Berlin and the neighbouring state of Brandenburg are German films Christian Petzold’s Roter Himmel, Barbara Albert’s Mittagsfrau, Simon Verhoeven...
- 7/6/2022
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
The company made its name with Nora Fingscheidt’s ‘System Crasher’ in 2019.
Falling Into Place, the directorial debut of German actress Aylin Tezel, Damian John Harper’s Fresh, with Dark star Louis Hoffman and Sophia Bosch’s mother-daughter drama Milk Teeth are all on the anticipated new production slate of Weydemann Bros, the German production outfit behind 2019 local box office hit System Crasher.
Tezel is known for her recent performances in Almanya: Welcome To Germany and 7500. Falling Into Place is a love story that she has also written and will star when it shoots in 2022.
Berlin-based distributor Port Au Prince which released System Crasher,...
Falling Into Place, the directorial debut of German actress Aylin Tezel, Damian John Harper’s Fresh, with Dark star Louis Hoffman and Sophia Bosch’s mother-daughter drama Milk Teeth are all on the anticipated new production slate of Weydemann Bros, the German production outfit behind 2019 local box office hit System Crasher.
Tezel is known for her recent performances in Almanya: Welcome To Germany and 7500. Falling Into Place is a love story that she has also written and will star when it shoots in 2022.
Berlin-based distributor Port Au Prince which released System Crasher,...
- 10/6/2021
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
German star Louis Hofmann is set to topline Damian John Harper’s upcoming drama “Fresh,” a German-language adaptation of Scottish writer Mark McNay’s novel of the same name.
Hofmann plays a young man who must emancipate himself from his tyrannical older brother.
Unlike the book, which is set in the outskirts of Glasgow, the film’s story takes place in a working-class neighborhood near Duisburg in western Germany’s Ruhr Valley region, known as the country’s rust belt.
Harper describes the tale as “a mosaic of a ticking bomb, brutal memories and trauma-induced daydreams.”
“Fresh” is produced by Weydemann Bros., the production company behind last year’s hit Berlinale screener “System Crasher” as well as Harper’s 2018 award-winning drama “In the Middle of the River,” about a troubled Iraq vet in New Mexico seeking to avenge his sister’s death.
Harper’s longtime production partners, Jakob and Jonas Weydemann,...
Hofmann plays a young man who must emancipate himself from his tyrannical older brother.
Unlike the book, which is set in the outskirts of Glasgow, the film’s story takes place in a working-class neighborhood near Duisburg in western Germany’s Ruhr Valley region, known as the country’s rust belt.
Harper describes the tale as “a mosaic of a ticking bomb, brutal memories and trauma-induced daydreams.”
“Fresh” is produced by Weydemann Bros., the production company behind last year’s hit Berlinale screener “System Crasher” as well as Harper’s 2018 award-winning drama “In the Middle of the River,” about a troubled Iraq vet in New Mexico seeking to avenge his sister’s death.
Harper’s longtime production partners, Jakob and Jonas Weydemann,...
- 2/22/2020
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Germany’s dynamic film industry is luring international directors who are finding a wealth of opportunities while contributing to the sector’s increasing diversity.
A number of filmmakers from around the globe have managed to launch or boost their careers in Germany, in some cases far easier than they could have in their native countries.
Well-established in Brazil and Germany, Karim Ainouz will be in Un Certain Regard with “The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão,” which being sold by Germany’s The Match Factory.
The film follows two women in Rio de Janeiro from the 1940s to the 1970s and is produced by Rt Features and Germany’s Pola Pandora.
Ainouz has made Berlin his home for the past decade while moving between Germany and Brazil, where he also teaches in Fortaleza.
Uruguayan filmmaker Carlos Morelli, who likewise teaches scriptwriting, came to Germany with an artist-in-residence program in 2008.
Morelli’s latest feature film,...
A number of filmmakers from around the globe have managed to launch or boost their careers in Germany, in some cases far easier than they could have in their native countries.
Well-established in Brazil and Germany, Karim Ainouz will be in Un Certain Regard with “The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão,” which being sold by Germany’s The Match Factory.
The film follows two women in Rio de Janeiro from the 1940s to the 1970s and is produced by Rt Features and Germany’s Pola Pandora.
Ainouz has made Berlin his home for the past decade while moving between Germany and Brazil, where he also teaches in Fortaleza.
Uruguayan filmmaker Carlos Morelli, who likewise teaches scriptwriting, came to Germany with an artist-in-residence program in 2008.
Morelli’s latest feature film,...
- 5/14/2019
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
For Jakob and Jonas Weydemann, “Systemsprenger” (“System Crasher”), a social drama about a troubled young girl caught in the revolving door of Germany’s child welfare services, is exactly the kind of film the sibling producer duo is keen to make.
Nora Fingscheidt’s feature film debut, which screens in competition in Berlin, explores the difficult and timely social issue of children who fall through the system while at the same telling a human story about a little girl seeking only to be with her mother.
Since launching their company, Weydemann Bros., in 2012, the team has striven to make films that are socially relevant. While their works often deal with societal issues, they are not necessarily front and center.
Sarah Winkenstette’s forthcoming “Zu weit weg,” for example, is a children’s film about the friendship between a German boy who has to leave his village because it’s being...
Nora Fingscheidt’s feature film debut, which screens in competition in Berlin, explores the difficult and timely social issue of children who fall through the system while at the same telling a human story about a little girl seeking only to be with her mother.
Since launching their company, Weydemann Bros., in 2012, the team has striven to make films that are socially relevant. While their works often deal with societal issues, they are not necessarily front and center.
Sarah Winkenstette’s forthcoming “Zu weit weg,” for example, is a children’s film about the friendship between a German boy who has to leave his village because it’s being...
- 2/9/2019
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
On Thursday, October 2nd from 6:30pm- 10pm, the 7th Annual Bushwick Film Festival will host it's Opening Night festivities. Ticket's can be purchased here. The festival runs October 2-5.
The opening night film is "B.F.E." (Trailer). Director Shawn Telford will be flying in from Seattle to present the film and for a Q&A. "B.F.E." is essentially a film about the heavy feeling of being trapped in both your own life's circumstances as well as life's circumstances while desperately trying to escape. In this case, it's a small town, boredom, old age, young love and drugs. The tag line is "They say it's quiet out in the country....They don't know shit!"
The screening is followed by an opening night party that is free for ticket holders at Bushwick's hottest new venue Lot 45.
The four-day festival weekend will include films from all over the world including London, South Africa, France, Ukraine, Mexico, Peru, U.S. and of course Bushwick! The weekend is an opportunity to see amazing films that you won't find in regular ol' U.S. cinemas. They are true gems!
There will also be a Cinema talks series, Industry Events and Panels with guests from The Tribeca Film Institute ,Magnolia Pictures and Vimeo.
"I've put a lot of love in the program and spent a full year planning for the lucky 7. Over the year, I saw tons of films and traveled to see films to bring back to Bushwick to present. I learned that distribution and rights tend to be trickier than I imagined, however I was successful in bringing back one really great film I saw at the Berlin International Film Festival that nicely polishes off our feature film program. The film is "Los Angeles" directed by Damian John Harper," said Kweighbaye Kotee, Director of Programming.
In addition to all the events, each year the festival donates a portion of its ticket sales to an organization or individual that uses film or technology to positively impact their community. This award encourages charitable deeds through the use of cinema. As this year’s recipient, the festival will support Kriterion Monrovia’s, ”Together We Can Stop Ebola” Campaign."You can read the full press release here.
"In closing, the festival weekend marks a major accomplishment for me as a Director/Programmer and for the festival because we have grown in terms of film submissions (74% increase/18% international) and are recognized as a "locally bread celebration of independent film since 2007, that has grown into a slick beautiful community event recognized in the film industry," concluded Kweighbaye
For more information on the full line-up, events, and ticketing please visit Here...
The opening night film is "B.F.E." (Trailer). Director Shawn Telford will be flying in from Seattle to present the film and for a Q&A. "B.F.E." is essentially a film about the heavy feeling of being trapped in both your own life's circumstances as well as life's circumstances while desperately trying to escape. In this case, it's a small town, boredom, old age, young love and drugs. The tag line is "They say it's quiet out in the country....They don't know shit!"
The screening is followed by an opening night party that is free for ticket holders at Bushwick's hottest new venue Lot 45.
The four-day festival weekend will include films from all over the world including London, South Africa, France, Ukraine, Mexico, Peru, U.S. and of course Bushwick! The weekend is an opportunity to see amazing films that you won't find in regular ol' U.S. cinemas. They are true gems!
There will also be a Cinema talks series, Industry Events and Panels with guests from The Tribeca Film Institute ,Magnolia Pictures and Vimeo.
"I've put a lot of love in the program and spent a full year planning for the lucky 7. Over the year, I saw tons of films and traveled to see films to bring back to Bushwick to present. I learned that distribution and rights tend to be trickier than I imagined, however I was successful in bringing back one really great film I saw at the Berlin International Film Festival that nicely polishes off our feature film program. The film is "Los Angeles" directed by Damian John Harper," said Kweighbaye Kotee, Director of Programming.
In addition to all the events, each year the festival donates a portion of its ticket sales to an organization or individual that uses film or technology to positively impact their community. This award encourages charitable deeds through the use of cinema. As this year’s recipient, the festival will support Kriterion Monrovia’s, ”Together We Can Stop Ebola” Campaign."You can read the full press release here.
"In closing, the festival weekend marks a major accomplishment for me as a Director/Programmer and for the festival because we have grown in terms of film submissions (74% increase/18% international) and are recognized as a "locally bread celebration of independent film since 2007, that has grown into a slick beautiful community event recognized in the film industry," concluded Kweighbaye
For more information on the full line-up, events, and ticketing please visit Here...
- 9/22/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Top brass at the festival, set to run from September 24-October 8, have announced the selections in Focus Mexico.
The films are as follows:
Focus Mexico
The Obscure Spring (Las Oscuras Primaveras)
Ernesto Contreras
Manuela Jankovic’s War (La Guerra De Manuela Jankovic)
Diana Cardozo
González
Christian Díaz Pardo
Asteroide
Marcelo Tobar
The Absent (Los Ausentes)
Nicolás Pereda
Cumbres
Gabriel Nuncio
We Are Mari Pepa (Somos Mari Pepa)
Samuel Kishi
The Well (Manto Acuífero)
Michael Rowe
Güeros
Alonso Ruizpalacios
Cantinflas
Sebastian del Amo
Los Angeles
Damian John Harper
The Amazing Catfish (Los Insólitos Peces Gato)
Claudia Sainte-Luce
The Empty Hours (Las Horas Muertas)
Aaron Fernandez.
Panorama section
Words With Gods (Palabras Con Dioses)
Guillermo Arriaga, Héctor Babenco, Warwick Thornton, Mira Nair, Hideo Nakata, Amos Gitai, Álex de la Iglesia, Emir Kusturica, Bahman Ghobadi
Short Plays
Daniel Gruener, Carlos Reygadas, Fernando Eimbcke, Felipe Gómez, Alejandro Valle, Karim Aïnouz, Marcelo Gomes, Pablo Fendrik, Pablo Stoll, [link...
The films are as follows:
Focus Mexico
The Obscure Spring (Las Oscuras Primaveras)
Ernesto Contreras
Manuela Jankovic’s War (La Guerra De Manuela Jankovic)
Diana Cardozo
González
Christian Díaz Pardo
Asteroide
Marcelo Tobar
The Absent (Los Ausentes)
Nicolás Pereda
Cumbres
Gabriel Nuncio
We Are Mari Pepa (Somos Mari Pepa)
Samuel Kishi
The Well (Manto Acuífero)
Michael Rowe
Güeros
Alonso Ruizpalacios
Cantinflas
Sebastian del Amo
Los Angeles
Damian John Harper
The Amazing Catfish (Los Insólitos Peces Gato)
Claudia Sainte-Luce
The Empty Hours (Las Horas Muertas)
Aaron Fernandez.
Panorama section
Words With Gods (Palabras Con Dioses)
Guillermo Arriaga, Héctor Babenco, Warwick Thornton, Mira Nair, Hideo Nakata, Amos Gitai, Álex de la Iglesia, Emir Kusturica, Bahman Ghobadi
Short Plays
Daniel Gruener, Carlos Reygadas, Fernando Eimbcke, Felipe Gómez, Alejandro Valle, Karim Aïnouz, Marcelo Gomes, Pablo Fendrik, Pablo Stoll, [link...
- 9/14/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Yesterday the Guadalajara International Film Festival in Los Angeles - Ficg in La - presented by the University of Guadalajara Foundation in USA and Conaculta, with Principal Sponsors University of Guadalajara, the Guadalajara International Film Festival, the Institute of Cinema Mexico (Imcine) and Univision, announced its lineup. "The Hours with You" (Las Horas Contigo) directed by Catalina Aguilar Mastretta, will be the Opening Night film for the 2014 Festival. The film stars Cassandra Ciangherotti, María Rojo, Isela Vega, Arcelia Ramírez and Julio Bracho.
The 2014 Ficg in La, which returns to the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood for its fourth year and runs from Thursday, September 4 to Sunday, September 7, brings the best of contemporary Mexican and Latin American cinema to Los Angeles, and is an extension of the Guadalajara International Film Festival.
Featuring outstanding and award-winning titles from FICG29, which ran from March 21-29, 2014 in Guadalajara, Ficg in La will offer the premiere of other titles that have emerged in the world of cinema throughout the year to great critical acclaim.
The aim of the festival is to increase access and visibility of Mexican and Latin American cinema in the U.S., facilitating the exchange of ideas through stories and issues of cultural and social relevance, create a space for collaboration between filmmakers, and strengthen relations between the film industry in Mexico and the U.S.
Ficg in La includes film screenings followed by Q&As with filmmakers and talent, as well as galas and special award recognitions to Latin American and U.S. Latino artists.
“This year, we are truly proud to bring two artistic programs to Ficg in La that supports emerging independent filmmakers, in effect, fulfilling part of our mission to nourish and sustain emerging talent across international film industries. Many of the films in this year's showcase reveal the cross-cultural collaborations currently taking place between film industries in Latin America, the Us, and Canada. These collaborations have resulted in the creation of groundbreaking, authentic, multicultural stories that move seamlessly across national and cultural boundaries." said Hebe Tabachnik, Director and Producer of Ficg in La.
“We are constantly finding ways for Ibero-American filmmakers to promote their films and share their experiences with moviemakers from all over the world. Now that we have reached our fourth year, we realized that we have become one of the leading platforms for Latino cinematography to enter the United States market,” said Iván Trujillo, Festival Director of Ficg.
Among the celebrities that have accompanied us in previous editions are: Carlos Cuarón, Edward James Olmos, Sergio Arau, Diana Bracho, Alfonso Arau, Kate del Castillo, Martha Higareda, Beto Cuevas, Irene Azuela, Dulce Maria, Carmen Salinas and Jay Hernandez.
Oscar nominee Demian Bichir , Nalip (The National Association of Latino Independent Producers), Ruben Luengas (journalist) and Gabriela Teissier (anchor woman) from Univision Radio and TV will receive the festival’s Tree of Life Award for their contributions to Mexican, Latino and Ibero American culture. Previous recipients include Ambulante, Juan Carlos Arciniegas (CNN en Espanol), Fernando Luján (actor), Gabriel Beristain (Director of Photography) and Emilio Kauderer (Music Composer).
Ficg in La continues to support Latino and Ibero-American films with Guadalajara Construye in Los Angeles 1 and DocuLab.1 Los Angeles by selecting six projects from filmmakers seeking post-production funds. The films will be screened for jury members, sponsors and film industry professionals. The winners will be announced on Opening Night.
In addition, the winning projects in each competition will automatically qualify to be considered for Guadalajara Construye 9 or DocuLab.7 Guadalajara, or for the Ibero-American Competitions of the next edition of the Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG30) – March 6 - 15, 2015.
To reaffirm the social mission of Ficg and the University of Guadalajara Foundation in USA, Ficg in La will donate again all of its proceeds to a charitable cause. We will announce soon the recipient of this year’s fundraising effort.
10 Feature and documentary films and six short films will be showcased in this year’s festival
Opening Night Gala – September 5, 2014
• "The Hours with You" (Las Horas Contigo), Dir. Catalina Aguilar Mastretta, Mexico. Us Premiere
Closing Night Gala – September 7, 2014
• "One for the Road" (En el Ultimo Trago), Dir. Jack Zagha Kababie, Mexico. Us Premiere
Feature Films
• "Echo of the Mountain" (Eco de la Montaña), Dir. Nicolás Echevarría, Mexico. Us Premiere (documentary)
• "Grazing the Sky" (A Ras del Cielo), Dir. Horacio Alcala, Spain/ Mexico/ Portugal. L.A. Premiere (documentary)
• "Ignasi M.," Dir. Ventura Pons, Spain. L.A. Premiere (documentary)
• "Los Ángeles," Dir. Damian John Harper USA/Mexico.
• "The Mute" (El Mudo), Dir. Daniel Vega Vidal & Diego Vega Vidal, Peru. L.A. Premiere
• "Natural Sciences" (Ciencias naturales), Dir. Matías Lucchesi, Argentina.
• "Paraíso," Dir. Mariana Chenillo. Mexico. L.A Premiere
• "A Wolf at the Door" (O Lobo atras da Porta), Dir. Fernando Coimbra, Brazil. L.A. Premiere
Short Films
• "Diego," Dir. Sara Seligman, Mexico/Germany. (live action Drama)
• "A Family Day" (Un día en Familia), Dir. Pedro Zulu González, Mexico. (animation)
• "Minerita," Dir. Raúl de la Fuente, Spain (documentary)
• "Pickman's Model" (El modelo de Pickman), Dir. Pablo Ángeles Zuman, Mexico. Us Premiere (animation)
• "The Queen" (La Reina), Dir. Manuel Abramovich, Argentina (documentary)
• "Yearbook," Dir. Bernardo Britto, USA. (animation)
The screening of the selected work-in-progress films will be for industry accredited to the festival. These screenings are not open to the general public or member of the press.
Guadalajara Construye in Los Angeles 1
• "Blue Lips," Dir. Daniela De Carlo, Julieta Lima, Gustavo Lipsztein, Antonello Novellino, Nacho Ruipérez and Nobu Shima USA/Argentina/ Brazil/ Spain
• "Whisper of the Forest" (Gritos del Bosque), Dir. Jorge Olguín, Chile/USA
• Pocha, Dir. Michael Dwyer, Mexico/USA
DocuLab.1 Los Angeles
• "Gaucho del Norte," Dir. Andres Caballero, Sofia Khan Argentina/USA
• "Hotel de Paso," Dir. Paulina Sánchez Mexico/USA
• "Juanicas," Dir. Karina Garcia Casanova, Mexico/Canada
Ficg in La is presented by the University of Guadalajara Foundation in the United States and Conaculta, and Principal Sponsors, the University of Guadalajara, the Guadalajara International Film Festival, the Institute of Cinema Mexico (Imcine) and Univision, and Supporting Sponsors Cultura Udg, University of Guadalajara Foundation in Los Angeles, LeaLa, Channel 31.2 and the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles.
About Ficg
The Guadalajara International Film Festival was founded by Guillermo del Toro and other Mexican filmmakers in 1986, and will celebrate its 30th edition March 6-15, 2015.
Ficg is the lead film festival in Latin America. It is a forum for the training, education, and creative exchange among industry professionals, film critics, and film students from all over Ibero-America.
About the University of Guadalajara – Mexico
The University of Guadalajara is a member of the University Network in the State of Jalisco, and it is the second oldest university in Mexico. The University of Guadalajara is committed to the betterment of society through higher education. It supports scientific and technological research that makes important contributions to a sustainable and inclusive society, respecting cultural diversity and honoring the principles of social justice, democracy, coexistence, and prosperity for all. The University is renowned in Mexico and abroad as a leader in the transformation of society through innovative means of social development and dissemination of knowledge.
About the Foundation of the University of Guadalajara in the U.S.
The University of Guadalajara Foundation in the United States of America (Udg Foundation-usa) is an extension of Fundación Universidad de Guadalajara, A.C., and is made up of a number of prominent academic and social leaders. The Foundation works to attain private support from individuals, foundations and corporations in order to fulfill the mission and vision of the University of Guadalajara in Los Angeles.
U.S. Udg Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life and social integration of migrants and Hispanic nationals by increasing their access to education and enhancing their sense of belonging and identification with their environment by developing their skills and capabilities through educational services and relevant social research.
The 2014 Ficg in La, which returns to the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood for its fourth year and runs from Thursday, September 4 to Sunday, September 7, brings the best of contemporary Mexican and Latin American cinema to Los Angeles, and is an extension of the Guadalajara International Film Festival.
Featuring outstanding and award-winning titles from FICG29, which ran from March 21-29, 2014 in Guadalajara, Ficg in La will offer the premiere of other titles that have emerged in the world of cinema throughout the year to great critical acclaim.
The aim of the festival is to increase access and visibility of Mexican and Latin American cinema in the U.S., facilitating the exchange of ideas through stories and issues of cultural and social relevance, create a space for collaboration between filmmakers, and strengthen relations between the film industry in Mexico and the U.S.
Ficg in La includes film screenings followed by Q&As with filmmakers and talent, as well as galas and special award recognitions to Latin American and U.S. Latino artists.
“This year, we are truly proud to bring two artistic programs to Ficg in La that supports emerging independent filmmakers, in effect, fulfilling part of our mission to nourish and sustain emerging talent across international film industries. Many of the films in this year's showcase reveal the cross-cultural collaborations currently taking place between film industries in Latin America, the Us, and Canada. These collaborations have resulted in the creation of groundbreaking, authentic, multicultural stories that move seamlessly across national and cultural boundaries." said Hebe Tabachnik, Director and Producer of Ficg in La.
“We are constantly finding ways for Ibero-American filmmakers to promote their films and share their experiences with moviemakers from all over the world. Now that we have reached our fourth year, we realized that we have become one of the leading platforms for Latino cinematography to enter the United States market,” said Iván Trujillo, Festival Director of Ficg.
Among the celebrities that have accompanied us in previous editions are: Carlos Cuarón, Edward James Olmos, Sergio Arau, Diana Bracho, Alfonso Arau, Kate del Castillo, Martha Higareda, Beto Cuevas, Irene Azuela, Dulce Maria, Carmen Salinas and Jay Hernandez.
Oscar nominee Demian Bichir , Nalip (The National Association of Latino Independent Producers), Ruben Luengas (journalist) and Gabriela Teissier (anchor woman) from Univision Radio and TV will receive the festival’s Tree of Life Award for their contributions to Mexican, Latino and Ibero American culture. Previous recipients include Ambulante, Juan Carlos Arciniegas (CNN en Espanol), Fernando Luján (actor), Gabriel Beristain (Director of Photography) and Emilio Kauderer (Music Composer).
Ficg in La continues to support Latino and Ibero-American films with Guadalajara Construye in Los Angeles 1 and DocuLab.1 Los Angeles by selecting six projects from filmmakers seeking post-production funds. The films will be screened for jury members, sponsors and film industry professionals. The winners will be announced on Opening Night.
In addition, the winning projects in each competition will automatically qualify to be considered for Guadalajara Construye 9 or DocuLab.7 Guadalajara, or for the Ibero-American Competitions of the next edition of the Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG30) – March 6 - 15, 2015.
To reaffirm the social mission of Ficg and the University of Guadalajara Foundation in USA, Ficg in La will donate again all of its proceeds to a charitable cause. We will announce soon the recipient of this year’s fundraising effort.
10 Feature and documentary films and six short films will be showcased in this year’s festival
Opening Night Gala – September 5, 2014
• "The Hours with You" (Las Horas Contigo), Dir. Catalina Aguilar Mastretta, Mexico. Us Premiere
Closing Night Gala – September 7, 2014
• "One for the Road" (En el Ultimo Trago), Dir. Jack Zagha Kababie, Mexico. Us Premiere
Feature Films
• "Echo of the Mountain" (Eco de la Montaña), Dir. Nicolás Echevarría, Mexico. Us Premiere (documentary)
• "Grazing the Sky" (A Ras del Cielo), Dir. Horacio Alcala, Spain/ Mexico/ Portugal. L.A. Premiere (documentary)
• "Ignasi M.," Dir. Ventura Pons, Spain. L.A. Premiere (documentary)
• "Los Ángeles," Dir. Damian John Harper USA/Mexico.
• "The Mute" (El Mudo), Dir. Daniel Vega Vidal & Diego Vega Vidal, Peru. L.A. Premiere
• "Natural Sciences" (Ciencias naturales), Dir. Matías Lucchesi, Argentina.
• "Paraíso," Dir. Mariana Chenillo. Mexico. L.A Premiere
• "A Wolf at the Door" (O Lobo atras da Porta), Dir. Fernando Coimbra, Brazil. L.A. Premiere
Short Films
• "Diego," Dir. Sara Seligman, Mexico/Germany. (live action Drama)
• "A Family Day" (Un día en Familia), Dir. Pedro Zulu González, Mexico. (animation)
• "Minerita," Dir. Raúl de la Fuente, Spain (documentary)
• "Pickman's Model" (El modelo de Pickman), Dir. Pablo Ángeles Zuman, Mexico. Us Premiere (animation)
• "The Queen" (La Reina), Dir. Manuel Abramovich, Argentina (documentary)
• "Yearbook," Dir. Bernardo Britto, USA. (animation)
The screening of the selected work-in-progress films will be for industry accredited to the festival. These screenings are not open to the general public or member of the press.
Guadalajara Construye in Los Angeles 1
• "Blue Lips," Dir. Daniela De Carlo, Julieta Lima, Gustavo Lipsztein, Antonello Novellino, Nacho Ruipérez and Nobu Shima USA/Argentina/ Brazil/ Spain
• "Whisper of the Forest" (Gritos del Bosque), Dir. Jorge Olguín, Chile/USA
• Pocha, Dir. Michael Dwyer, Mexico/USA
DocuLab.1 Los Angeles
• "Gaucho del Norte," Dir. Andres Caballero, Sofia Khan Argentina/USA
• "Hotel de Paso," Dir. Paulina Sánchez Mexico/USA
• "Juanicas," Dir. Karina Garcia Casanova, Mexico/Canada
Ficg in La is presented by the University of Guadalajara Foundation in the United States and Conaculta, and Principal Sponsors, the University of Guadalajara, the Guadalajara International Film Festival, the Institute of Cinema Mexico (Imcine) and Univision, and Supporting Sponsors Cultura Udg, University of Guadalajara Foundation in Los Angeles, LeaLa, Channel 31.2 and the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles.
About Ficg
The Guadalajara International Film Festival was founded by Guillermo del Toro and other Mexican filmmakers in 1986, and will celebrate its 30th edition March 6-15, 2015.
Ficg is the lead film festival in Latin America. It is a forum for the training, education, and creative exchange among industry professionals, film critics, and film students from all over Ibero-America.
About the University of Guadalajara – Mexico
The University of Guadalajara is a member of the University Network in the State of Jalisco, and it is the second oldest university in Mexico. The University of Guadalajara is committed to the betterment of society through higher education. It supports scientific and technological research that makes important contributions to a sustainable and inclusive society, respecting cultural diversity and honoring the principles of social justice, democracy, coexistence, and prosperity for all. The University is renowned in Mexico and abroad as a leader in the transformation of society through innovative means of social development and dissemination of knowledge.
About the Foundation of the University of Guadalajara in the U.S.
The University of Guadalajara Foundation in the United States of America (Udg Foundation-usa) is an extension of Fundación Universidad de Guadalajara, A.C., and is made up of a number of prominent academic and social leaders. The Foundation works to attain private support from individuals, foundations and corporations in order to fulfill the mission and vision of the University of Guadalajara in Los Angeles.
U.S. Udg Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life and social integration of migrants and Hispanic nationals by increasing their access to education and enhancing their sense of belonging and identification with their environment by developing their skills and capabilities through educational services and relevant social research.
- 8/20/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Man From Reno, a Kickstarter-backed movie about a Japanese crime novelist investigating a murder mystery in San Francisco, won the Best Narrative Feature at the Los Angeles Film Festival. “Its exploration of barriers of age, language and success set against a noir plot line infuses a pop energy into the well observed portrayal of its unique characters,” the jury stated, awarding director Dave Boyle the $5,000 prize. The film stars Ayako Fujitani as the novelist as well as Pepe Serna (Scarface) and Kazuki Kitamura (The Raid 2).
Stray Dog, Debra Granik’s first film since Winter’s Bone, won the festival prize for Best Documentary Feature.
Stray Dog, Debra Granik’s first film since Winter’s Bone, won the festival prize for Best Documentary Feature.
- 6/20/2014
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
A neo-noir film about a Japanese crime novelist mixed up in a real-life San Francisco murder mystery took home the Narrative Award tonight during the 20th Los Angeles Film Festival‘s awards gala. Director Dave Boyle’s Man From Reno, which had its world premiere at the fest, was named best narrative feature. Stray Dog, Debra Granik’s first film since the Best Picture Oscar nominee Winter’s Bone, won the Documentary Award. It centers on an imposing-looking biker who’s actually a Vietnam veteran with a heart of gold and a love of small dogs. Damian John Harper’s Los Ángeles took home the La […]...
- 6/20/2014
- Deadline
Top brass at the Los Angeles Film Festival unveiled the winners of jury and audience awards as the festival came to a close.
Dave Boyle earned the Narrative Award for Man From Reno, Debra Granik’s Stray Dog took documentary honours and the inaugural La Muse Award was presented to Damian John Harper for Los Ángeles.
Each award carried an unrestricted $5,000 cash prize for the winning director.
Winners of the short film awards each received a $1,500 cash prize.
Best Narrative Short Film went to The Runaway by Jean-Bernard Marlin, while Best Documentary Short Film went to The Queen by Manuel Abramovich. The Award for Best Animated or Experimental Short Film went to Hu Wei’s Butter Lamp.
In the audience awards, best narrative feature went to Kerem Sanga’s The Young Kieslowski and Geeta V Patel and Ravi V Patel’s Meet The Patels prevailed in the documentary strand.
Someone You Love by Pernille Fischer Christensen won the...
Dave Boyle earned the Narrative Award for Man From Reno, Debra Granik’s Stray Dog took documentary honours and the inaugural La Muse Award was presented to Damian John Harper for Los Ángeles.
Each award carried an unrestricted $5,000 cash prize for the winning director.
Winners of the short film awards each received a $1,500 cash prize.
Best Narrative Short Film went to The Runaway by Jean-Bernard Marlin, while Best Documentary Short Film went to The Queen by Manuel Abramovich. The Award for Best Animated or Experimental Short Film went to Hu Wei’s Butter Lamp.
In the audience awards, best narrative feature went to Kerem Sanga’s The Young Kieslowski and Geeta V Patel and Ravi V Patel’s Meet The Patels prevailed in the documentary strand.
Someone You Love by Pernille Fischer Christensen won the...
- 6/19/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Director Damian John Harper and cinematographer Friede Clausz are screening their first feature film "Los Ángeles," about a young kid who tries to cross the border from Mexico in order to support his family, at this year's Los Angeles Film Festival. The duo previously collaborated on the short film "Teardrop."[Editor's Note: Indiewire reached out to filmmakers with films playing at the 20th La Film Festival (June 11-19) to ask them about how they shot their indie, and what advice they had for other filmmakers. We'll be posting their responses throughout the run of the festival. Go Here for the master list.] What camera and lens did you use? We shot "Los Ángeles" on the Arri Alexa. What was the most difficult shoot on your movie and how did you pull it off? We decided to shoot every scene in "Los Ángeles" as a plan-sequence from the shoulder. The protagonists were all non-actors with no film experience, we had children, animals, weapons, special effects, stunts,...
- 6/17/2014
- by Oliver MacMahon
- Indiewire
Film revolving around Native American community, directed by Damian John Harper, to shoot early 2015.
Paris-based production company Les Films d’Ici 2 has boarded Us director Damian John Harper’s upcoming drama In the Middle of the Road.
The film, which is lead produced by German Jonas Weydemann is due to shoot in New Mexico in early 2015 and centres on a Native American, Iraqi War veteran’s difficult return to his family’s reservation where he stands up to an abusive grandfather.
It was among 12 projects presented at the Paris Coproduction Village last week.
“We’ve been in talks to work together for some time and we decided to make it official here,” said Weydemann, who produces under the Weydemann Bros. banner, the Cologne-based company he runs with his brother Jakob D.Weydemann.
Under the deal, Les Films d’ici 2 and Weydemann Bros are hoping to tap into the joint French-German mini-treaty fund backed by France’s National...
Paris-based production company Les Films d’Ici 2 has boarded Us director Damian John Harper’s upcoming drama In the Middle of the Road.
The film, which is lead produced by German Jonas Weydemann is due to shoot in New Mexico in early 2015 and centres on a Native American, Iraqi War veteran’s difficult return to his family’s reservation where he stands up to an abusive grandfather.
It was among 12 projects presented at the Paris Coproduction Village last week.
“We’ve been in talks to work together for some time and we decided to make it official here,” said Weydemann, who produces under the Weydemann Bros. banner, the Cologne-based company he runs with his brother Jakob D.Weydemann.
Under the deal, Les Films d’ici 2 and Weydemann Bros are hoping to tap into the joint French-German mini-treaty fund backed by France’s National...
- 6/16/2014
- ScreenDaily
English-language thriller set on French Riviera in the 1950s due to shoot July 2015.
Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz’s upcoming thriller The Beauty of Sharks was one of the hot projects at the inaugural edition of the Paris Coproduction Village, which unfolded off the French capital’s Champs Elysees last week.
Two French buyers were rumoured to be circling the thriller about a group of Us expatriate hustlers living on the French Riviera, who are trying to get a piece of an elderly socialite’s millions.
It is based on an original screenplay by UK writer Rob Green who recently worked on Billy O’Brien’s horror romance Scintilla.
The feature is produced by Filip Jan Rymsza of Royal Road Entertainment, which is based out of Los Angeles with satellite offices in New York and Luxembourg. Rymsza, who has a dual Us and Polish nationality, also takes a co-writing credit.
“The plan is to raise finance both out...
Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz’s upcoming thriller The Beauty of Sharks was one of the hot projects at the inaugural edition of the Paris Coproduction Village, which unfolded off the French capital’s Champs Elysees last week.
Two French buyers were rumoured to be circling the thriller about a group of Us expatriate hustlers living on the French Riviera, who are trying to get a piece of an elderly socialite’s millions.
It is based on an original screenplay by UK writer Rob Green who recently worked on Billy O’Brien’s horror romance Scintilla.
The feature is produced by Filip Jan Rymsza of Royal Road Entertainment, which is based out of Los Angeles with satellite offices in New York and Luxembourg. Rymsza, who has a dual Us and Polish nationality, also takes a co-writing credit.
“The plan is to raise finance both out...
- 6/16/2014
- ScreenDaily
Inaugural edition of the new co-production market will run June 12-13.Scroll down for full list of projects
Pia Marais, Andrea Segre and Brillante Mendoza [pictured] are among the directors who will be presenting their new projects at the inaugural Paris Coproduction Village in June.
Organised by the same team that runs Les Arcs European Film Festival, in association with the Champs-Elysees Film Festival, the event will take place off Paris’ most famous boulevard on June 12 and 13.
The event was launched in March to replace the respected Paris Project co-production market, which folded after losing its city hall funding.
“We pulled together the line-up in an incredibly short space of time,” said Vanja Kaludjercic, who spearheads the new event alongside Les Arcs CEO Pierre-Emmanuel Fleurantin.
“We were very proactive in terms of chasing projects we knew were coming together. Everyone did their bit and got on the phone. We’re pretty pleased with the resulting selection.”
Fleurantin said: “It...
Pia Marais, Andrea Segre and Brillante Mendoza [pictured] are among the directors who will be presenting their new projects at the inaugural Paris Coproduction Village in June.
Organised by the same team that runs Les Arcs European Film Festival, in association with the Champs-Elysees Film Festival, the event will take place off Paris’ most famous boulevard on June 12 and 13.
The event was launched in March to replace the respected Paris Project co-production market, which folded after losing its city hall funding.
“We pulled together the line-up in an incredibly short space of time,” said Vanja Kaludjercic, who spearheads the new event alongside Les Arcs CEO Pierre-Emmanuel Fleurantin.
“We were very proactive in terms of chasing projects we knew were coming together. Everyone did their bit and got on the phone. We’re pretty pleased with the resulting selection.”
Fleurantin said: “It...
- 5/19/2014
- ScreenDaily
You hear it all the time: Quality a bit soft. Not a lot of Big Titles. Not a lot of Big News. But Americans were buying all the same, and to quote Screen International: “The current market is focused on smart money and smart deals, not volume of product”. Business at Afm was also solid though unspectacular. Moreover, the pre-buying of projects may be below the radar of this $3 billion business of international film buying and selling. TrustNordisk’s CEO Rikke Ennis says that 70% of their films are pre-sold. As you look at the upcoming Winter Rights Roundup due out in two weeks from SydneysBuzz.com/Reports, you will notice many of the films have been pre-buys this market and many films screening were already pre-sold during Afm in November.
And for all the complaints about Berlin, many sales agents set up private screenings before the market kicked off. What is that about?
Beki Probst, who has run the Efm since 1988, responded to the many media reports of a quieter market in an interview with ScreenDaily which sounds almost the same as the one she gave in 2009.
Quoting her current statement which I take the liberty of quoting here as it appears in Screen:
“I think that there was a good movement of business this year,” she said. In the opinion of Probst, there had been a muddying of the distinction between the Efm and the more general term of the ‘market’.
“Daphné Kapfer of Europa International representing 35 sales agents said that it was a very good Berlin, and Glen Basner of FilmNation commented that it was ‘the best Berlin’.
“Even Harvey Weinstein came just for 24 hours to sign a $7m check, and Aloft was bought by Sony Pictures Classics.
“It’s the players, and not the market, that is important. The players come here if they have the right line-up. All we can do is provide the best infrastructure, but what happens after that is up to them.”
"Sales agents were not sitting idle at their stands if one takes the example of one company in the Martin Gropius Bau: the CEO met with 90 buyers and the members of staff responsible for marketing had no less than 180 meetings in addition to ad-hoc discussions at events in the evenings."
Coproductions are the engine driving the business these days.
This year’s Berlinale Co-Production Market ended after two-and-a-half days with awards handed out to projects from Kazakhstan and Belgium.
The €6,000 Arte International Prize went to Kazakh film-maker Emir Baigazin’s planned second feature The Wounded Angel, the second part of a trilogy after his Silver Bear-winning Harmony Lessons. The €1.2m Almaty-based Kazakhfilm Jsc production has already attracted France’s Capricci Production as a co-producer and has backing in place from the Doha Film Institute and the Hubert Bals Fund.
The €10,000 Vff Talent Highlight Pitch Award was presented to Belgian director Bavo Defurne for his romantic dramedy Souvenir. The €2m co-production by Oostende-based Indeed Films with Belgium’s Frakas Productions and Germany’s Karibufilm already has backing from Flanders Audiovisual Fund, Cinefinance and public broadcaster Vrt/ Een.
India-Norway’s $55 million film to be directed by Hans Petter Moland (In Order of Disappearance)’s The Indian Bride is an exciting example of an unusual pairing of countries.
Bavaria and Senator’s joint venture Bavaria Pictures’ The Postcard Killers to be directed by Mexican director Everardo Gout shows the international expansion of talent.
The Hungary-Austria-Germany co-production of Stefan Zweig’s Beware of Pity, or U.K.-Lithuania action comedy Redirected being sold by Content brings unusual European partners together.
U.S. born Damian John Harper’s coproduction with the German producers, brothers Jakob and Jonas Weydemann, on Los Angeles will be followed by In the Middle of the River now being developed with Zdf’s Das Kleine Fernsehspiel unit.
Shoreline’s The Infinite Man produced with Australia’s Hedone Productions in association with Bonsai Films with investment from South Australia Film Corporation through its Filmlab funding initiative, development assistance from Screen Australia is also a new sort of pairing.
Film and Music Entertainment (F&Me), Bac Films, 20 Steps Productions and Bruemmer & Herzog’s The President is shooting in Tbilisi, Georgia and is being directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf.
Italian-Canadian producer Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi’s Sights of Death starring Danny Glover, Daryl Hannah, Rutger Hauer, Stephen Baldwin and Michael Madsen is directed by Allessandro Capone in Rome.
The Spain-u.K. co-production Second Origin is based on the best selling Catalan novel Mecanoscrit Del Segon Orgen.
The Golden Bear Winner Black Coal, Thin Ice is a Boneyard Entertainment (New York & Hong Kong) co-production with Boneyard Entertainment China (Bec), Omnijoi Media (Jiangsu, China), China Film co-production.
A sign of the times is the Swedish Film in Berlin advertisement which lists all Swedish co-productions:
In Competition: In Order of DisappearanceOut of Competition: NymphomaniacBerlinale Special: Someone You Love Generation Kplus: A Christmoose StoryPerspektive Deutsches Kino: Lamento
All are with European co-producers as is Antboy a Danish-German co-production.
One of my favorites is Gallows Hill, being sold by Im Global and already picked up by IFC for U.S. Starring Twilight actor Peter Facinelli, U.K. actress Sophia Myles, Nathalia Ramos and Colombian model and actress Carolina Guerra, it was entirely financed from within Colombia by television network Rcn’s affiliate Five 7 Media which produced with Peter Block's A Bigger Boat, David Higgins and Angelique Higgins' Launchpad Productions and Andrea Chung. The screenplay was written by Rich D’Ovidio ( The Call, Thir13en Ghosts) about a widower who takes his children on a trip to their mother’s Colombian hometown.
Another interesting combo is the Australian-Singapore co-production Canopy being sold by Odin’s Eye which was acquired by Kaleidoscope for U.K., by Kinosmith for Canada and Odin’s Eye itself for Australia. After its Tiff 2013 premiere, Monterrey acquired U.S. rights.
Cathedrals of Culture, was produced by Wim Wenders’ production company: Neue Road Movies in Germany and co-produced by Final Cut For Real (Denmark), Lotus Film (Austria), Mer Film (Norway), Les Films d'Ici 2 (France), Sundance Productions / RadicalMedia (U.S.), Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg In collaboration with Arte (Germany and France) and Wowow (Japan).
Grand Budapest Hotel is a co-production of Scott Rudin in U.S. and Studio Babelsburg in Germany.
Wouldn't you say there had to be an awful lot of business going on? If only the media knew where to look for it. Instead, they moan the same old tired tune, "Quality a bit soft. Not a lot of Big Titles. Not a lot of Big News". Oh well...
Efm Coproduction Market
Asian producer Raymond Phathanavirangoon, who was pitching the Hong Kong comedy Grooms by writer-director Arvin Chen at the Berlin Coproduction Market, announced that Germany’s augenschein filmproduktion will be a coproducer on Singaporean director Boo Junfeng’s second feature Apprentice. The film has already received backing from France’s World Cinema Support, the Film- und Medienstiftung Nrw of Germany and Germany's second network, Zdf’s Das kleine fernsehspiel unit. It also has Cinema Defacto as its French co-producer. Junfeng’s first film, Sandcastle, was screened at the Critics’ Week in Cannes in 2010.
Cologne-based augenschein, who produced Maximilian Leo’s My Brother’s Keeper, the opening film of this year’s Perspektive Deutsches Kino and is handled internationally by Media Luna, is currently in post-production on Romanian filmmaker Florin Serban’s Box, his second feature after the 2010 Berlinale Competition film If I Want To Whistle, I Whistle.
Argentinian filmmaker Santiago Mitre whose debut The Student established him as one of the brightest and most courted young directors in Latin America was in the Co-production Market with his untitled second feature which France’s Full House connected to along with Argentina’s Union de los Rio, Argentine broadcast network Telefe, Ignacio Viale and the ubiquitous Lita Stantic.
Full House was also at the Coproduction Market with Peter Webber’s Fresh about a young thief learning the art of pickpocketing in Bogota, Colombia. It will be co-produced with Rcn affiliate Five 7 Media and 4Direcciones in Colombia and by Webber himself.
Raymond van der Kaaij, the producer of Tamar van den Dop’s Panorama title Supernova, is now financing Sundance winner Ernesto Contreras’ next feature I Dream In Another Language. The Spanish-English language project will be produced with Mexico-based Agencia Sha, and it is now casting the American lead according to producer van der Kaaij of Revolver Amsterdam. Developed at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and the winner of the Sundance-Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award, I Dream has already received support from Imcine in Mexico. Shooting is scheduled in Mexico for the end of 2014.
Revolver is now editing Bodkin Ras, the debut film of Iranian-Dutch director Kaweh Modiri, an English-language documentary-thriller set in North Scotland. The Dutch-Belgian-u.K. coproduction is set for release at the end of 2014.
Finnish film-maker Jukka-Pekka Valkeapaa’s is editing his latest feature They Have Escaped, which Revolver coproduced with Helsinki Film.
Trend of smart art genres
Another continuing trend, which began with Xyz and Celluloid Nightmares and continued with Memento, is the character-driven art genre films with tight budgets, like the Danish coming-of-age-werewolf-romance, When Animals Dream, directed by first timer Jonas Arnby, sold by Gaumont to Radius-twc for No. Americ. The Scandinavians, formerly making a mark with "Nordic Noir" are now making what they call "Nordic Twilight".
Trend of remake rights
Another trend is that of remake rights. Film Sharks reports it makes more from selling remake rights than from licensing distribution rights.
The Intouchables is selling remake rights to more countries than only India as is the sale of Other Angle’s Babysitting remake rights. Negotiations are underway with Russia, Italy and Germany.
Fruit Chan is considering an English language remake of his 2004 cult horror film Dumplings.
The market is bit too calm?…Then let us look at Cannes…
Usually by Afm you can begin the Tipped for Cannes List (which Gilles Jacob detested), but even that is a little on the quiet side. I begin to question whether all media fueled news is accurate: the slow sales being reported, the lack of pre-Cannes buzz… Is the media really investigating deeply?
Of all the trades, while Screen has the most international news and deepest analyses, Variety reports things no other trade is covering. But…still the non-news of a quiet market persists as if it were headline news. We always hear this and we are still in an economic slump, so what we wish for is not apparent, but this is not news.
Tipped for Cannes
Tipped for Cannes are Zhang Yimou’s Coming Home staring Gong Li and to be sold by Wild Bunch, Stealth’s First Law starring Mads Mikkelsen (Cannes 2012 Best Actor Award for The Hunt); Self Made (Boreg) by Shira Geffen and to be sold by Westend, shot in Hebrew and Arabic by the production and sales team behind Oscar nominated 2011 drama Footnote, the second film after Geffen’s 2007 debut Jellyfish which won the Cannes Camera d’Or. MK2’s Clouds of Sils Maria by Olivier Assayas and starring Juliette Binoche, Chloe Grace Moretz and Kristen Stewart, and Naomi Kawase’s Still the Water will be delivered in time for Cannes. Pyramide International is plannng for Leviathan, a modern retelling of the biblical story which deals with some of Russia’s most important social issues to be ready for Cannes. It is directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev and produced by Alexander Rodnyansky (Stalingrad) as their followup to Elena. Gaumont-cj co-production, The Target, the Korean remake of Fred Cavaye’s action thriller Point Blank will be ready in time for Cannes.
Rumors and truths about people changing positions
Rumors about Dieter Kosslick replacing Berlin’s Culture Secretary who resigned after a tax evasion scandal in which he admitted to stashing $575,000 in a Swiss bank account…Charlotte Mickie has left eOne and knowing her, she is bound to find something good elsewhere as she's too good to lose...StudioCanals Harold van Lier now leads eOne’s newly ramped international sales team and Montreal based Anick Poirier leads its subsidiary label, Seville International. Jeff Nuyts is leaving Intramovies. Nigel Sinclair and Guy East seem to be leaving Exclusive Media the company they founded as discussions with partners from Dasym Investment Strategies Bv move forward. Kevin Hoiseth from Voltage Pictures has joined International Film Trust as their director of international sales...and of course, Nadine de Barros has founded her own company, Fortitude, and was holding court at the Ritz Carlton the buzziest spot outside of the Martin Gropius Bau.
What I Saw and What I Thought
For what it's worth, here is my limited list of screenings of films seen only in the last 3 days of the festival when I was no longer "working". I am including some I actually saw at Sundance.
First and foremost -- and to be written about further in a "thought piece" as I term the articles I think long about before writing and to include my interview with the director Goran Hugo Olsson's (The Black Power Mixtapes winner of Sundance 2011 World Cinema Documentary Film Editing Award) -- Concerning Violence (Isa: Films Boutique, U.S.: Cinetic), based on Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth and seen at Sundance this year next to Stanley Nelson's outstanding Freedom Summer (PBS) and Greg Barker's We Are The Giant (Submarine), is a call to action for new societal models ringing out loud and clear.
Golden Bear Winner, Black Coal, Thin Ice by Diao Yinan, a Chinese noir, lacked the momentum and substance I would have expected in a winning film, though it was a fascinating way to see today's urban China. Had I been on the jury, I would have chosen the Best Director Award winning Boyhood (Isa: IFC) by Richard Linklater. But perhaps because James Schamus, an American who loves Chinese films, was President of the Jury, there might have arisen a question of disinterested objectivity. I would have to hear what jurists Barbara Broccoli, Trine Dyrhom, Chistoph Waltz, Tony Leung, Greta Gerwig, Mitra Farahani and Michel Gondry would have to say about the deliberations.
Speaking of jury prizes, it was a surprise the much acclaimed '71 (Isa: Protagonist, now headed by our dear Mike Goodridge) won nothing, and good Alain Renais' Life of Riley (Isa: Le Pacte) received recognition. I found Christophe Gans' La belle et la bete (Beauty and the Beast) (Isa: Pathe) an overproduced unwieldy special effects-ridden mess, even though it was exec-produced by Jérôme Seydoux who also produced the masterpiece La Grande Belleza (The Great Beauty), and starred his granddaughter Lea Seydoux. I'll stand by Cocteau's versoin. I heard Claudia Llosa (Milk of Sorrow)'s Aloft was also not widely admired.
About the best actress winning film The Little House (Isa: Shochiku could have marketed it more widely), I heard nothing at all, though it sounds really good. Kreuzweg (Stations of the Cross) (Isa: Beta) by brother and sister team Anna and Dietrich Brueggemann (any relation to our own Tom Brueggeman?) had a satisfying denouement and was quite engrossing with moments of humor lightening the heavy weight of the cross carried by 14 year old Maria played by Lea van Acken, a picture face out of a George de la Tour painting (Magdeline with a Smoking Flame or A Piece of Art). Macondo (Isa: Films Boutique - again! ) by Sudabeh Mortezai of Austria was a window on a world never seen before and very engrossing although the coming of age story was one we have seen before.
Not sorry to say I missed The Monuments Men and Nymphomaniac Volume I, but sorry that I missed Beloved Sisters (Isa: Global Screen) of Dominik Graf, The Grand Budapest Hotel (will see it in U.S.), Argentinian Benjamin Naishat's History of Fear (Isa: Visit) -- I'll catch it in Carthegena, Guadalajara or San Sebastian I'm sure, Jack, In Order of Disappearance which sounds like the sleeper hit of the festival, Argentinan (again!) La tercera orilla (The Third Side of the River), Lou Ye's Tui Na (Blind Massage) and Rachid Bouchareb's Two Men in Town (Isa: Pathe - again!), which I heard was rather flat which is not surprising, for when non-Americans try to make an American genre, it usually misses a certain verve, but still is such an interesting subject for him to tackle, Zwischen Welten (Inbetween Worlds) (Isa: The Match Factory) from Germany, another "American" subject, but here about a German soldier in Afghanistan, not an American one.
Among the Berlinale Specials, I wish I had seen Nancy Buirski's Afternoon of a Faun which everyone said was good (Isa: Cactus Three the doc production company of Krysanne Katsoolis and Caroline Stevens) and Volker Schloendorff's 1969 Brecht piece Baal starring Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Margarethe von Trotta. I did see his Diplomacy (Isa: Gaumont) which was a great treat, erudite, intimate and reminiscent of the novels of Sandor Marai (Embers and Casanova in Bolzano). Wish I could have seen Wim Wenders' Cathedrals of Culture (Isa: Cinephil), Diego Luna's Cesar Chavez (Isa: Mundial) and In the Courtyard aka Dans la cours (Isa: Wild Bunch) starring Catherine Deneuve and The Kidnapping of Michel Houllebecq (Isa: Le Pacte - again!!). I will see The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (Isa: The Film Sales Company) by Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller, produced by Jonathan Dana, Dayna Goldfine, Dan Geller and Celeste Schaefer Snyder (Ballets Russes), back home. The Turning (Isa: Level K), an experimental omnibus produced by my favorite Australian producer, Robert Connelly who also directed in part and Maggie Myles, is also a must-see as is Errol Morris' companion piece to The Fog of War, The Unknown Known (Isa: HanWay) and Houssein Amini's Two Faces of January (Isa: StudioCanal) starring my favorites Viggo Mortenson and Kirsten Dunst. We Come as Friends (Isa: Le Pacte), by Hubert Sauper whose earlier film Darwin's Destiny astounded me, was worth watching although so often his films plunge one into a hopeless helplessness. Fresh from Sundance, it was raising controversy and the story of the Sudan is worth knowing. His particular and peculiar Pov is valuable. Watermark (Isa: Entertainment One), another social issue worth knowing about will have to wait for a more propitious time. Personally I'm hoping Israel's current venture into desalination of water will lead the world into peace and that I will rejoice watching the doc about that.
Difret (Isa: Films Boutique - again!), fresh from Sundance where I saw it was really good and it sold well. I got to hang out with the team at the Panorama party. Gueros (Isa: Mundial - again!), was a disappointment -- too like The Year of the Nail (though different) in tone. But what a great company Canana is!
Panorama's Finding Vivian Maier (Isa: HanWay - again!) is brilliantly interesting. It is about to be released in U.S. by IFC. I highly recommend seeing this documentary about an eccentric, unknown photographer. It premiered at Tiff 2013. Fresh from Sundance where it won a Special Jury Prize, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (Isa: Submarine) was a treasure; Velvet Terrorists was about the oddest piece I have ever seen. About three former opponents of the Czechoslovakian Soviet Regime, each has continued to enjoy blowing up things. One is still training the next generation in urban guerilla warfare. They are otherwise unremarkable, sweet even, but twisted. What an odd documentary.
A quick look at the Market Films I have seen: of the 400+ premieres: Zero -- no I did see German Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, Two Lives (Isa: Beta), and I will soon be home to celebrate its nomination at the famous Villa Aurora, the former home of German expatriate writer Leon Feuchtwanger. So many more films look sooooo attractive! A pity I may never get to see them. I would need all the time in the world, and I have so little. I have so much and yet I want more!
And for all the complaints about Berlin, many sales agents set up private screenings before the market kicked off. What is that about?
Beki Probst, who has run the Efm since 1988, responded to the many media reports of a quieter market in an interview with ScreenDaily which sounds almost the same as the one she gave in 2009.
Quoting her current statement which I take the liberty of quoting here as it appears in Screen:
“I think that there was a good movement of business this year,” she said. In the opinion of Probst, there had been a muddying of the distinction between the Efm and the more general term of the ‘market’.
“Daphné Kapfer of Europa International representing 35 sales agents said that it was a very good Berlin, and Glen Basner of FilmNation commented that it was ‘the best Berlin’.
“Even Harvey Weinstein came just for 24 hours to sign a $7m check, and Aloft was bought by Sony Pictures Classics.
“It’s the players, and not the market, that is important. The players come here if they have the right line-up. All we can do is provide the best infrastructure, but what happens after that is up to them.”
"Sales agents were not sitting idle at their stands if one takes the example of one company in the Martin Gropius Bau: the CEO met with 90 buyers and the members of staff responsible for marketing had no less than 180 meetings in addition to ad-hoc discussions at events in the evenings."
Coproductions are the engine driving the business these days.
This year’s Berlinale Co-Production Market ended after two-and-a-half days with awards handed out to projects from Kazakhstan and Belgium.
The €6,000 Arte International Prize went to Kazakh film-maker Emir Baigazin’s planned second feature The Wounded Angel, the second part of a trilogy after his Silver Bear-winning Harmony Lessons. The €1.2m Almaty-based Kazakhfilm Jsc production has already attracted France’s Capricci Production as a co-producer and has backing in place from the Doha Film Institute and the Hubert Bals Fund.
The €10,000 Vff Talent Highlight Pitch Award was presented to Belgian director Bavo Defurne for his romantic dramedy Souvenir. The €2m co-production by Oostende-based Indeed Films with Belgium’s Frakas Productions and Germany’s Karibufilm already has backing from Flanders Audiovisual Fund, Cinefinance and public broadcaster Vrt/ Een.
India-Norway’s $55 million film to be directed by Hans Petter Moland (In Order of Disappearance)’s The Indian Bride is an exciting example of an unusual pairing of countries.
Bavaria and Senator’s joint venture Bavaria Pictures’ The Postcard Killers to be directed by Mexican director Everardo Gout shows the international expansion of talent.
The Hungary-Austria-Germany co-production of Stefan Zweig’s Beware of Pity, or U.K.-Lithuania action comedy Redirected being sold by Content brings unusual European partners together.
U.S. born Damian John Harper’s coproduction with the German producers, brothers Jakob and Jonas Weydemann, on Los Angeles will be followed by In the Middle of the River now being developed with Zdf’s Das Kleine Fernsehspiel unit.
Shoreline’s The Infinite Man produced with Australia’s Hedone Productions in association with Bonsai Films with investment from South Australia Film Corporation through its Filmlab funding initiative, development assistance from Screen Australia is also a new sort of pairing.
Film and Music Entertainment (F&Me), Bac Films, 20 Steps Productions and Bruemmer & Herzog’s The President is shooting in Tbilisi, Georgia and is being directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf.
Italian-Canadian producer Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi’s Sights of Death starring Danny Glover, Daryl Hannah, Rutger Hauer, Stephen Baldwin and Michael Madsen is directed by Allessandro Capone in Rome.
The Spain-u.K. co-production Second Origin is based on the best selling Catalan novel Mecanoscrit Del Segon Orgen.
The Golden Bear Winner Black Coal, Thin Ice is a Boneyard Entertainment (New York & Hong Kong) co-production with Boneyard Entertainment China (Bec), Omnijoi Media (Jiangsu, China), China Film co-production.
A sign of the times is the Swedish Film in Berlin advertisement which lists all Swedish co-productions:
In Competition: In Order of DisappearanceOut of Competition: NymphomaniacBerlinale Special: Someone You Love Generation Kplus: A Christmoose StoryPerspektive Deutsches Kino: Lamento
All are with European co-producers as is Antboy a Danish-German co-production.
One of my favorites is Gallows Hill, being sold by Im Global and already picked up by IFC for U.S. Starring Twilight actor Peter Facinelli, U.K. actress Sophia Myles, Nathalia Ramos and Colombian model and actress Carolina Guerra, it was entirely financed from within Colombia by television network Rcn’s affiliate Five 7 Media which produced with Peter Block's A Bigger Boat, David Higgins and Angelique Higgins' Launchpad Productions and Andrea Chung. The screenplay was written by Rich D’Ovidio ( The Call, Thir13en Ghosts) about a widower who takes his children on a trip to their mother’s Colombian hometown.
Another interesting combo is the Australian-Singapore co-production Canopy being sold by Odin’s Eye which was acquired by Kaleidoscope for U.K., by Kinosmith for Canada and Odin’s Eye itself for Australia. After its Tiff 2013 premiere, Monterrey acquired U.S. rights.
Cathedrals of Culture, was produced by Wim Wenders’ production company: Neue Road Movies in Germany and co-produced by Final Cut For Real (Denmark), Lotus Film (Austria), Mer Film (Norway), Les Films d'Ici 2 (France), Sundance Productions / RadicalMedia (U.S.), Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg In collaboration with Arte (Germany and France) and Wowow (Japan).
Grand Budapest Hotel is a co-production of Scott Rudin in U.S. and Studio Babelsburg in Germany.
Wouldn't you say there had to be an awful lot of business going on? If only the media knew where to look for it. Instead, they moan the same old tired tune, "Quality a bit soft. Not a lot of Big Titles. Not a lot of Big News". Oh well...
Efm Coproduction Market
Asian producer Raymond Phathanavirangoon, who was pitching the Hong Kong comedy Grooms by writer-director Arvin Chen at the Berlin Coproduction Market, announced that Germany’s augenschein filmproduktion will be a coproducer on Singaporean director Boo Junfeng’s second feature Apprentice. The film has already received backing from France’s World Cinema Support, the Film- und Medienstiftung Nrw of Germany and Germany's second network, Zdf’s Das kleine fernsehspiel unit. It also has Cinema Defacto as its French co-producer. Junfeng’s first film, Sandcastle, was screened at the Critics’ Week in Cannes in 2010.
Cologne-based augenschein, who produced Maximilian Leo’s My Brother’s Keeper, the opening film of this year’s Perspektive Deutsches Kino and is handled internationally by Media Luna, is currently in post-production on Romanian filmmaker Florin Serban’s Box, his second feature after the 2010 Berlinale Competition film If I Want To Whistle, I Whistle.
Argentinian filmmaker Santiago Mitre whose debut The Student established him as one of the brightest and most courted young directors in Latin America was in the Co-production Market with his untitled second feature which France’s Full House connected to along with Argentina’s Union de los Rio, Argentine broadcast network Telefe, Ignacio Viale and the ubiquitous Lita Stantic.
Full House was also at the Coproduction Market with Peter Webber’s Fresh about a young thief learning the art of pickpocketing in Bogota, Colombia. It will be co-produced with Rcn affiliate Five 7 Media and 4Direcciones in Colombia and by Webber himself.
Raymond van der Kaaij, the producer of Tamar van den Dop’s Panorama title Supernova, is now financing Sundance winner Ernesto Contreras’ next feature I Dream In Another Language. The Spanish-English language project will be produced with Mexico-based Agencia Sha, and it is now casting the American lead according to producer van der Kaaij of Revolver Amsterdam. Developed at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and the winner of the Sundance-Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award, I Dream has already received support from Imcine in Mexico. Shooting is scheduled in Mexico for the end of 2014.
Revolver is now editing Bodkin Ras, the debut film of Iranian-Dutch director Kaweh Modiri, an English-language documentary-thriller set in North Scotland. The Dutch-Belgian-u.K. coproduction is set for release at the end of 2014.
Finnish film-maker Jukka-Pekka Valkeapaa’s is editing his latest feature They Have Escaped, which Revolver coproduced with Helsinki Film.
Trend of smart art genres
Another continuing trend, which began with Xyz and Celluloid Nightmares and continued with Memento, is the character-driven art genre films with tight budgets, like the Danish coming-of-age-werewolf-romance, When Animals Dream, directed by first timer Jonas Arnby, sold by Gaumont to Radius-twc for No. Americ. The Scandinavians, formerly making a mark with "Nordic Noir" are now making what they call "Nordic Twilight".
Trend of remake rights
Another trend is that of remake rights. Film Sharks reports it makes more from selling remake rights than from licensing distribution rights.
The Intouchables is selling remake rights to more countries than only India as is the sale of Other Angle’s Babysitting remake rights. Negotiations are underway with Russia, Italy and Germany.
Fruit Chan is considering an English language remake of his 2004 cult horror film Dumplings.
The market is bit too calm?…Then let us look at Cannes…
Usually by Afm you can begin the Tipped for Cannes List (which Gilles Jacob detested), but even that is a little on the quiet side. I begin to question whether all media fueled news is accurate: the slow sales being reported, the lack of pre-Cannes buzz… Is the media really investigating deeply?
Of all the trades, while Screen has the most international news and deepest analyses, Variety reports things no other trade is covering. But…still the non-news of a quiet market persists as if it were headline news. We always hear this and we are still in an economic slump, so what we wish for is not apparent, but this is not news.
Tipped for Cannes
Tipped for Cannes are Zhang Yimou’s Coming Home staring Gong Li and to be sold by Wild Bunch, Stealth’s First Law starring Mads Mikkelsen (Cannes 2012 Best Actor Award for The Hunt); Self Made (Boreg) by Shira Geffen and to be sold by Westend, shot in Hebrew and Arabic by the production and sales team behind Oscar nominated 2011 drama Footnote, the second film after Geffen’s 2007 debut Jellyfish which won the Cannes Camera d’Or. MK2’s Clouds of Sils Maria by Olivier Assayas and starring Juliette Binoche, Chloe Grace Moretz and Kristen Stewart, and Naomi Kawase’s Still the Water will be delivered in time for Cannes. Pyramide International is plannng for Leviathan, a modern retelling of the biblical story which deals with some of Russia’s most important social issues to be ready for Cannes. It is directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev and produced by Alexander Rodnyansky (Stalingrad) as their followup to Elena. Gaumont-cj co-production, The Target, the Korean remake of Fred Cavaye’s action thriller Point Blank will be ready in time for Cannes.
Rumors and truths about people changing positions
Rumors about Dieter Kosslick replacing Berlin’s Culture Secretary who resigned after a tax evasion scandal in which he admitted to stashing $575,000 in a Swiss bank account…Charlotte Mickie has left eOne and knowing her, she is bound to find something good elsewhere as she's too good to lose...StudioCanals Harold van Lier now leads eOne’s newly ramped international sales team and Montreal based Anick Poirier leads its subsidiary label, Seville International. Jeff Nuyts is leaving Intramovies. Nigel Sinclair and Guy East seem to be leaving Exclusive Media the company they founded as discussions with partners from Dasym Investment Strategies Bv move forward. Kevin Hoiseth from Voltage Pictures has joined International Film Trust as their director of international sales...and of course, Nadine de Barros has founded her own company, Fortitude, and was holding court at the Ritz Carlton the buzziest spot outside of the Martin Gropius Bau.
What I Saw and What I Thought
For what it's worth, here is my limited list of screenings of films seen only in the last 3 days of the festival when I was no longer "working". I am including some I actually saw at Sundance.
First and foremost -- and to be written about further in a "thought piece" as I term the articles I think long about before writing and to include my interview with the director Goran Hugo Olsson's (The Black Power Mixtapes winner of Sundance 2011 World Cinema Documentary Film Editing Award) -- Concerning Violence (Isa: Films Boutique, U.S.: Cinetic), based on Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth and seen at Sundance this year next to Stanley Nelson's outstanding Freedom Summer (PBS) and Greg Barker's We Are The Giant (Submarine), is a call to action for new societal models ringing out loud and clear.
Golden Bear Winner, Black Coal, Thin Ice by Diao Yinan, a Chinese noir, lacked the momentum and substance I would have expected in a winning film, though it was a fascinating way to see today's urban China. Had I been on the jury, I would have chosen the Best Director Award winning Boyhood (Isa: IFC) by Richard Linklater. But perhaps because James Schamus, an American who loves Chinese films, was President of the Jury, there might have arisen a question of disinterested objectivity. I would have to hear what jurists Barbara Broccoli, Trine Dyrhom, Chistoph Waltz, Tony Leung, Greta Gerwig, Mitra Farahani and Michel Gondry would have to say about the deliberations.
Speaking of jury prizes, it was a surprise the much acclaimed '71 (Isa: Protagonist, now headed by our dear Mike Goodridge) won nothing, and good Alain Renais' Life of Riley (Isa: Le Pacte) received recognition. I found Christophe Gans' La belle et la bete (Beauty and the Beast) (Isa: Pathe) an overproduced unwieldy special effects-ridden mess, even though it was exec-produced by Jérôme Seydoux who also produced the masterpiece La Grande Belleza (The Great Beauty), and starred his granddaughter Lea Seydoux. I'll stand by Cocteau's versoin. I heard Claudia Llosa (Milk of Sorrow)'s Aloft was also not widely admired.
About the best actress winning film The Little House (Isa: Shochiku could have marketed it more widely), I heard nothing at all, though it sounds really good. Kreuzweg (Stations of the Cross) (Isa: Beta) by brother and sister team Anna and Dietrich Brueggemann (any relation to our own Tom Brueggeman?) had a satisfying denouement and was quite engrossing with moments of humor lightening the heavy weight of the cross carried by 14 year old Maria played by Lea van Acken, a picture face out of a George de la Tour painting (Magdeline with a Smoking Flame or A Piece of Art). Macondo (Isa: Films Boutique - again! ) by Sudabeh Mortezai of Austria was a window on a world never seen before and very engrossing although the coming of age story was one we have seen before.
Not sorry to say I missed The Monuments Men and Nymphomaniac Volume I, but sorry that I missed Beloved Sisters (Isa: Global Screen) of Dominik Graf, The Grand Budapest Hotel (will see it in U.S.), Argentinian Benjamin Naishat's History of Fear (Isa: Visit) -- I'll catch it in Carthegena, Guadalajara or San Sebastian I'm sure, Jack, In Order of Disappearance which sounds like the sleeper hit of the festival, Argentinan (again!) La tercera orilla (The Third Side of the River), Lou Ye's Tui Na (Blind Massage) and Rachid Bouchareb's Two Men in Town (Isa: Pathe - again!), which I heard was rather flat which is not surprising, for when non-Americans try to make an American genre, it usually misses a certain verve, but still is such an interesting subject for him to tackle, Zwischen Welten (Inbetween Worlds) (Isa: The Match Factory) from Germany, another "American" subject, but here about a German soldier in Afghanistan, not an American one.
Among the Berlinale Specials, I wish I had seen Nancy Buirski's Afternoon of a Faun which everyone said was good (Isa: Cactus Three the doc production company of Krysanne Katsoolis and Caroline Stevens) and Volker Schloendorff's 1969 Brecht piece Baal starring Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Margarethe von Trotta. I did see his Diplomacy (Isa: Gaumont) which was a great treat, erudite, intimate and reminiscent of the novels of Sandor Marai (Embers and Casanova in Bolzano). Wish I could have seen Wim Wenders' Cathedrals of Culture (Isa: Cinephil), Diego Luna's Cesar Chavez (Isa: Mundial) and In the Courtyard aka Dans la cours (Isa: Wild Bunch) starring Catherine Deneuve and The Kidnapping of Michel Houllebecq (Isa: Le Pacte - again!!). I will see The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (Isa: The Film Sales Company) by Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller, produced by Jonathan Dana, Dayna Goldfine, Dan Geller and Celeste Schaefer Snyder (Ballets Russes), back home. The Turning (Isa: Level K), an experimental omnibus produced by my favorite Australian producer, Robert Connelly who also directed in part and Maggie Myles, is also a must-see as is Errol Morris' companion piece to The Fog of War, The Unknown Known (Isa: HanWay) and Houssein Amini's Two Faces of January (Isa: StudioCanal) starring my favorites Viggo Mortenson and Kirsten Dunst. We Come as Friends (Isa: Le Pacte), by Hubert Sauper whose earlier film Darwin's Destiny astounded me, was worth watching although so often his films plunge one into a hopeless helplessness. Fresh from Sundance, it was raising controversy and the story of the Sudan is worth knowing. His particular and peculiar Pov is valuable. Watermark (Isa: Entertainment One), another social issue worth knowing about will have to wait for a more propitious time. Personally I'm hoping Israel's current venture into desalination of water will lead the world into peace and that I will rejoice watching the doc about that.
Difret (Isa: Films Boutique - again!), fresh from Sundance where I saw it was really good and it sold well. I got to hang out with the team at the Panorama party. Gueros (Isa: Mundial - again!), was a disappointment -- too like The Year of the Nail (though different) in tone. But what a great company Canana is!
Panorama's Finding Vivian Maier (Isa: HanWay - again!) is brilliantly interesting. It is about to be released in U.S. by IFC. I highly recommend seeing this documentary about an eccentric, unknown photographer. It premiered at Tiff 2013. Fresh from Sundance where it won a Special Jury Prize, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (Isa: Submarine) was a treasure; Velvet Terrorists was about the oddest piece I have ever seen. About three former opponents of the Czechoslovakian Soviet Regime, each has continued to enjoy blowing up things. One is still training the next generation in urban guerilla warfare. They are otherwise unremarkable, sweet even, but twisted. What an odd documentary.
A quick look at the Market Films I have seen: of the 400+ premieres: Zero -- no I did see German Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, Two Lives (Isa: Beta), and I will soon be home to celebrate its nomination at the famous Villa Aurora, the former home of German expatriate writer Leon Feuchtwanger. So many more films look sooooo attractive! A pity I may never get to see them. I would need all the time in the world, and I have so little. I have so much and yet I want more!
- 2/27/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Ahead of the world premiere of Los Ángeles [pictured], Damian John Harper has announced his next project with Weydemann Brothers.
Never change a winning team: even before the world premiere of Damian John Harper’s debut Los Ángeles in the Forum today (Feb 8), producers Jakob and Jonas Weydemann of Weydemann Brothers are already working with him on preparations for his next feature.
With the working title of In The Middle Of The River, the project is being developed again in close collaboration with Zdf’s Das kleine Fernsehspiel unit.
The Us-born director has set his family drama in an impoverished Native American reservation in the Arizona. Principal photography is scheduled to begin in winter 2014/15.
In addition, debut features are planned with German directors Paul Florian Müller and Philipp Döring.
Financing for Müller’s black comedy Sex & Crime, set to shoot in Nrw and Berlin in autumn 2014, has come from Sky Deutschland, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and Film-...
Never change a winning team: even before the world premiere of Damian John Harper’s debut Los Ángeles in the Forum today (Feb 8), producers Jakob and Jonas Weydemann of Weydemann Brothers are already working with him on preparations for his next feature.
With the working title of In The Middle Of The River, the project is being developed again in close collaboration with Zdf’s Das kleine Fernsehspiel unit.
The Us-born director has set his family drama in an impoverished Native American reservation in the Arizona. Principal photography is scheduled to begin in winter 2014/15.
In addition, debut features are planned with German directors Paul Florian Müller and Philipp Döring.
Financing for Müller’s black comedy Sex & Crime, set to shoot in Nrw and Berlin in autumn 2014, has come from Sky Deutschland, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and Film-...
- 2/8/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Nancy Buirski [pictured], Valeria Golino and Hernán Musaluppi to decide on the Best First Feature Award; 18 films are in contention.
Berlinale has unveiled the three-person jury for its Best First Feature Award.
Us director and producer Nancy Buirski, Italian actress and director Valeria Golino and Argentinian producer Hernán Musaluppi will decide the award, with the winner announced at the official award ceremony in the Berlinale Palast on Feb 15.
The award comes with a €50,000 prize, donated by the Gwff, and will be split between the producer and director of the winning film, while the director will also be awarded with a high-quality viewfinder.
A total of 18 directorial debuts have been nominated by the heads of the Competition, Panorama, Forum, Generation and Perspektive Deutsches Kino section.
They are:
Competition
´71 - United Kingdom
By Yann Demange
With Jack O’Connell, Sean Harris, Richard Dormer
Historia del miedo (History of Fear) – Argentina / Uruguay / Germany / France
By Benjamin Naishtat
With Jonathan Da Rosa, [link...
Berlinale has unveiled the three-person jury for its Best First Feature Award.
Us director and producer Nancy Buirski, Italian actress and director Valeria Golino and Argentinian producer Hernán Musaluppi will decide the award, with the winner announced at the official award ceremony in the Berlinale Palast on Feb 15.
The award comes with a €50,000 prize, donated by the Gwff, and will be split between the producer and director of the winning film, while the director will also be awarded with a high-quality viewfinder.
A total of 18 directorial debuts have been nominated by the heads of the Competition, Panorama, Forum, Generation and Perspektive Deutsches Kino section.
They are:
Competition
´71 - United Kingdom
By Yann Demange
With Jack O’Connell, Sean Harris, Richard Dormer
Historia del miedo (History of Fear) – Argentina / Uruguay / Germany / France
By Benjamin Naishtat
With Jonathan Da Rosa, [link...
- 1/23/2014
- by ian.sandwell@screendaily.com (Ian Sandwell)
- ScreenDaily
Projects from Bulgaria, Belgium and Macedonia have picked up prizes at the When East Meets West (Wemw) international co-production meetings in Trieste.
The main prize, the Wemw Development Award, provided by the local regional fund Friuli Venezia Giulia Audiovisual Fund (Fvg), went to Bulgarian producer Martichka Bozhilova and director Galin Stoev for Endless Garden, which is looking for a Belgian co-producer.
The €1.1m dramedy will be theatre director Stoev’s debut feature and already has Berlin-based Thomas Kufus’ zero one film and Media onboard as partners.
Endless Garden had previously been pitched during the Sofia Meetings last March.
A special mention was given by the jury of Eave’s Kristina Trapp, Torino Film Lab’s Mathieu Darras and the Berlinale’s Nikolai Nikitin to the Czech/Slovak documentary comedy Never Give Up by Matej Minac.
A new prize this year, sponsored by Belgium’s Filmmore with €5,000 worth of post-production services, went to the...
The main prize, the Wemw Development Award, provided by the local regional fund Friuli Venezia Giulia Audiovisual Fund (Fvg), went to Bulgarian producer Martichka Bozhilova and director Galin Stoev for Endless Garden, which is looking for a Belgian co-producer.
The €1.1m dramedy will be theatre director Stoev’s debut feature and already has Berlin-based Thomas Kufus’ zero one film and Media onboard as partners.
Endless Garden had previously been pitched during the Sofia Meetings last March.
A special mention was given by the jury of Eave’s Kristina Trapp, Torino Film Lab’s Mathieu Darras and the Berlinale’s Nikolai Nikitin to the Czech/Slovak documentary comedy Never Give Up by Matej Minac.
A new prize this year, sponsored by Belgium’s Filmmore with €5,000 worth of post-production services, went to the...
- 1/22/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Berlin-based sales and production company Picture Tree International (Pti) has secured distribution rights to four new titles ahead of this year’s European Film Market (Efm).
The fledgling outfit, which will be represented at the Efm with a stand for the first time, has world sales rights for German blockbuster Suck Me Shakespeer (Fack Ju Göthe) which has sold more than six million tickets and made in excess of $60m to become Germany’s most successful box office release of 2013.
The Constantin Film release will receive the Audience Award at the Bavarian Film Awards in Munich tonight (Friday). Pti will market the film’s TV rights in cooperation with Red Arrow, the international sales arm of ProSiebenSat.1.
Pti will also bring Damian John Harper’s feature debut Los Ángeles, which will have its world premiere in the Berlinale’s Forum. Inspired by the Us-born director’s experiences spent during a year in a small Southern Mexican village...
The fledgling outfit, which will be represented at the Efm with a stand for the first time, has world sales rights for German blockbuster Suck Me Shakespeer (Fack Ju Göthe) which has sold more than six million tickets and made in excess of $60m to become Germany’s most successful box office release of 2013.
The Constantin Film release will receive the Audience Award at the Bavarian Film Awards in Munich tonight (Friday). Pti will market the film’s TV rights in cooperation with Red Arrow, the international sales arm of ProSiebenSat.1.
Pti will also bring Damian John Harper’s feature debut Los Ángeles, which will have its world premiere in the Berlinale’s Forum. Inspired by the Us-born director’s experiences spent during a year in a small Southern Mexican village...
- 1/17/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Above: Rinko Kikuchi in Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter
The lineup for this year's Forum section has been unveiled (minus the special screenings which will be announced soon), providing "an overview of independent, artistic filmmaking with a disregard for convention, screening 28 world and eight international premieres from every single continent."
The Airstrip (Heinz Emighol), Germany - World Premiere
Al doilea joc (The Second Game) (Corneliu Porumboiu), Romania - World Premiere
Le beau danger (René Frölke), Germany / Italy - World Premiere
Butter on the Latch (Josephine Decker), USA - World Premiere
Casse (Scrap Yard) (Nadège Trebal), France - International Premiere
Castanha (Davi Pretto), Brasil - World Premiere
Cheol-ae-kum (A Dream of Iron) (Kelvin Kyung Kun Park), Republic of Korea / USA - World Premiere
Chilla (40 Days of Silence) (Saodat Ismailova), Uzbekistan / Tajikistan / Netherlands / Germany / France - World Premiere
The Darkside (Warwick Thornton), Australia - International Premiere
L’enlèvement de Michel Houellebecq (The Kidnapping...
The lineup for this year's Forum section has been unveiled (minus the special screenings which will be announced soon), providing "an overview of independent, artistic filmmaking with a disregard for convention, screening 28 world and eight international premieres from every single continent."
The Airstrip (Heinz Emighol), Germany - World Premiere
Al doilea joc (The Second Game) (Corneliu Porumboiu), Romania - World Premiere
Le beau danger (René Frölke), Germany / Italy - World Premiere
Butter on the Latch (Josephine Decker), USA - World Premiere
Casse (Scrap Yard) (Nadège Trebal), France - International Premiere
Castanha (Davi Pretto), Brasil - World Premiere
Cheol-ae-kum (A Dream of Iron) (Kelvin Kyung Kun Park), Republic of Korea / USA - World Premiere
Chilla (40 Days of Silence) (Saodat Ismailova), Uzbekistan / Tajikistan / Netherlands / Germany / France - World Premiere
The Darkside (Warwick Thornton), Australia - International Premiere
L’enlèvement de Michel Houellebecq (The Kidnapping...
- 1/16/2014
- by Notebook
- MUBI
The Berlinale’s Forum line-up includes new films from Corneliu Porumboiu, Denis Côté and Guillaume Nicloux.
The strand will include 28 world premieres and eight international premieres from every continent.
Porumboiu’s Al Doilea Joc (The Second Game) follows a football match between top Romanian teams Dinamo and Steau and the experience of the director’s father who refereed the game.
In L’enlèvement de Michel Houellebecq (The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq), French director Guillaume Nicloux has brawny gangsters kidnap controversial writer Michel Houellebecq, where he is held captive for days in a house outside Paris.
Canadian director Cote was last year nominated for the Golden Bear for Vic + Flo Saw a Bear.
Ken Jacobs’ The Guests is an expanded one-minute film turned into a 70-minute black-and-white silent film in 3D.
The strand’s Special Screenings will be announced soon.
Forum
Wp = World premiere, IP = International premiere
The Airstrip by Heinz Emigholz, Germany - Wp[p...
The strand will include 28 world premieres and eight international premieres from every continent.
Porumboiu’s Al Doilea Joc (The Second Game) follows a football match between top Romanian teams Dinamo and Steau and the experience of the director’s father who refereed the game.
In L’enlèvement de Michel Houellebecq (The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq), French director Guillaume Nicloux has brawny gangsters kidnap controversial writer Michel Houellebecq, where he is held captive for days in a house outside Paris.
Canadian director Cote was last year nominated for the Golden Bear for Vic + Flo Saw a Bear.
Ken Jacobs’ The Guests is an expanded one-minute film turned into a 70-minute black-and-white silent film in 3D.
The strand’s Special Screenings will be announced soon.
Forum
Wp = World premiere, IP = International premiere
The Airstrip by Heinz Emigholz, Germany - Wp[p...
- 1/16/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
German sales agents have revealed a raft of market premieres to be presented at the forthcoming American Film Market (Afm) (Nov 6-13).
Ida Martins’ Cologne-based Media Luna will have screenings of five new titles as market premieres:
Stijn Coninx’s romantic feel-good drama Marina, based on the childhood memories of the Italian-Belgian singer Rocco Granata;
Menno Meyjes’ psychological drama-thriller The Dinner, based on Herman Koch’s eponymous international bestseller, which had its world premiere at last month’s Toronto International Film Festival;
Jan Verheyen’s courtroom drama The Verdict, which received the Best Award at the Montreal World Film Festival;
Julia von Heinz’s German-Israeli romantic comedy Hanna’s Journey which celebrates its German premiere on at this week’s Hof Film Days and is nominated for the Millbrook Authors Prize;
Bettina Blümner’s coming of age drama Broken Glass Park which was awarded the Goethe Institut’s Youth and Children’s Film Prize at the Schlingel...
Ida Martins’ Cologne-based Media Luna will have screenings of five new titles as market premieres:
Stijn Coninx’s romantic feel-good drama Marina, based on the childhood memories of the Italian-Belgian singer Rocco Granata;
Menno Meyjes’ psychological drama-thriller The Dinner, based on Herman Koch’s eponymous international bestseller, which had its world premiere at last month’s Toronto International Film Festival;
Jan Verheyen’s courtroom drama The Verdict, which received the Best Award at the Montreal World Film Festival;
Julia von Heinz’s German-Israeli romantic comedy Hanna’s Journey which celebrates its German premiere on at this week’s Hof Film Days and is nominated for the Millbrook Authors Prize;
Bettina Blümner’s coming of age drama Broken Glass Park which was awarded the Goethe Institut’s Youth and Children’s Film Prize at the Schlingel...
- 10/23/2013
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
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