Screen
04 Oct 2012

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German and Russian superstars unite in comedy by Cloud Atlas co-producer

Germany’s Til Schweiger and Russia’s Fyodor Bondarchuk are to unite as lead actors in Antalyagrad to be produced by Cloud Atlas co-producer and distributor Alexander Rodnyansky.
'A huge opportunity for local films'

The global potential of regional films was among the hot topics under discussion at the Third Film Finance Forum @ Zurich Film Festival. By Wendy Mitchell
Abu Dhabi Film Festival underway in style

Stars attend gala opening at Emirates Palace, Richard Gere teases potential feature in the region.
Abu Dhabi Film Festival: Arab filmmakers recount troubled beginnings

Five leading Arab filmmakers outlined the difficulties they experienced in launching their careers in a troubled region at an Abu Dhabi Film Festival panel on Tuesday.
Abu Dhabi Media Summit 2012 Schedule

Browse the full schedule for the Abu Dhabi Media Summit, running from Oct 9-11.
Abu Dhabi Media Summit 2012 Speakers

Browse the full list of speakers at the Abu Dhabi Media Summit 2012.
Abu Dhabi Media Summit: 83% of Arab Digital Generation uses web daily

Groundbreaking new research from global management consulting firm Booz & Company, in partnership with Google, has provided the most illuminating snapshot yet of the habits and aspirations of the Arab Digital Generation (ADG).
Abu Dhabi Media Summit: Bill Gates says media can be 'conscience of the world'

Bill Gates discusses the media’s role in eradicating poverty and disease, Microsoft as a platform for the creation and distribution of filmed entertainment, his “friend” and “competitor” Steve Jobs, and says he won’t be running for president any time soon.
Abu Dhabi Media Summit: Collapsing windows still not working, studios say

The vexed issue of theatrical windows was again raised in today’s Abu Dhabi Media Summit roundtable, Tablets Rising.
Abu Dhabi Media Summit: eMarketer's Ramsey says a third of planet is on web

Geoff Ramsey, (Founder & CEO, eMarketer) dazzled the Abu Dhabi Media Summit audience with an 18-minute presentation that allowed them at least to peer into the digital future.
Abu Dhabi Media Summit: Gawdat explains the nine rules key to Google's success

A Senior Google executive offered attendees an intriguing glimpse into the secrets of the multinational internet company’s workplace culture.
Abu Dhabi Media Summit: Google's Kyncl says YouTube will charge for content

YouTube to charge subscription fees for content; he says Google is ‘complementary’ to broadcasters, not at war with them.
Abu Dhabi Media Summit: How to get Arabic content online

At today’s Abu Dhabi Media Summit session, Sami Mustafa Mubarak and Mina Nagy Takla, the co-founders of Taghreedat, illustrated their revolutionary plans for putting Arab content front and central on the internet.
Abu Dhabi Media Summit: How TV has transformed Afghanistan

There are a lot of opportunities for media concerns willing to take risks in emerging markets.
Abu Dhabi Media Summit: Internet driving job creation in developing countries

McKinsey’s Tarek Elmasry says that in global terms, the Internet is the size of Spain; Arabic is fastest-growing language online.
Abu Dhabi Media Summit: Li Ruigang talks about Dreamworks' China deal

The film market is one of the biggest sectors of growth in the Chinese media landscape, China Media Capital chairman Li Ruigang told the Abu Dhabi Media Summit today.
Abu Dhabi Media Summit: Media growth seen in region

Al Mubarak says 3000 new jobs in media sector have been created in last four years.
Abu Dhabi Media Summit: Real time news challenges

Experts talk about how news gathering has been transformed in the digital age.
Abu Dhabi Media Summit: Talking failure

Entrepreneurs address the notion that ‘innovation starts with failure and ends with growth.’
Abu Dhabi Media Summit: The creation of Internet is 'biggest event' in human history

Experts call for heavy investment in infrastructure.
Abu Dhabi Media Summit: Transformers Universe game previewed

Jagex CEO says gameplay works as a ‘short, sharp experience.’
Abu Dhabi Media Summit: Viacom’s Dall’Orto shines light on the world’s 'super-now generation'

Viacom’s evp of music brands spotlights the youth market, especially in the Middle East.
Abu Dhabi Media Summit: Viacom's Bakish touts local content that travels

‘Glocalisation’ was the topic of conversation between Bob Bakish, CEO of Viacom International Media Networks, and Sai Kumar, group CEO of Network 18, during an Abu Dhabi Media Summit panel called Two-Way Streets.
Abu Dhabi Media Summit: Vice Media to launch 24-hour news channel in 18 countries

Vice Media CEO Shane Smith discusses the company’s bold ambitions at the Abu Dhabi Media Summit.
Abu Dhabi Media Summit: What the Big Bird controversy means for children's media

Sesame Workshop CEO says children’s learning should be non-partisan; defends public-private partnership but calls for more federal backing.
Abu Dhabi Media Summit: When greed is good

Outspoken Rashid Al Ballaa of N2V talks about smart long-term investments
Abu Dhabi Media Summit: WME's Emanuel says now is 'greatest time' for content creators

Ari Emanuel says range of distribution options opens up more money for content creators. He says Silicon Valley is now taking steps to work more closely with Hollywood, and Madison Avenue also needs to come into the mix.
Academy receives record 71 foreign language submissions

The bumper haul vying for glory at the 85th Academy Awards includes the first ever entry from Kenya, while Cambodia returns to the fray for the first time in nearly two decades.
Academy selects pool of eight documentary short contenders

The films graduated from a pool of 31 eligible entries and three to five will make it to the nominations stage on Jan 10 2013.
Adrien Brody, Maria Bello join Corsan's Third Person

Paul Haggis will direct the ensemble drama which as previously announced also stars Liam Neeson, Mila Kunis, Olivia Wilde, James Franco and Kim Basinger.
AE-Autoexposure

Dir/scr: Juliana Reis. Brazil. 2012. 82mins
AFI FEST unveils World Cinema, Breakthrough, Midnight, shorts

Pieta, The Hunt (pictured), War Witch, The Angels’ Share, Beyond The Hills and John Dies At The End among the line-up. The festival is set to run in Los Angeles from Nov 1-8.
AFM organisers announce second annual conference series

The events comprise a range of conferences scheduled to run from Nov 2-6 at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica.
Ai Weiwei, Henkel world premieres to screen at BIFFDOCS

Ai Weiwei’s Ping’an Yueqing and Show Me The Magic [pictured], Cathy Henkel’s homegrown film about cinematographer Don McAlpine, are the two world premiere’s among the 15 films in the running to win BIFFDOCS, Australia’s richest documentary prize.
Aldamisa International expands into TV business

EXCLUSIVE: The feature film financing, international sales and production company made the announcement on Thursday (11) and will kick off with Emmett/Furla’s Dolph Lundgren vehicle Rescue 3.
Alex Cross

Dir: Rob Cohen. US. 2012. 102mins
Ali Al Jabri, Abu Dhabi Film Festival

With increasing international clout, the Abu Dhabi Film Festival (Oct 11-20) is also a key backer of international films.
Altitude takes on sales for Son of a Gun starring Ewan McGregor

Jerrycan director Julius Avery to shoot film in early 2013.
American Empire: An Act Of Collective Madness

Dir: Patrea Patrick. US-Canada. 2012. 96mins
American Film Festival to honour Schatzberg, Anderson

Third edition of the Wroclow, Poland-based festival to take place Nov 13-18.
Animation Mentor to host two-day seminar

The online animation school “founded by animators for animators” announced the sessions on Tuesday (9) in partnership with Autodesk.
Arclight Films boards The Man Who Shook The Hand Of Vicente Fernandez

Ernest Borgnine’s final film is a coming-of-age comedy in the vein of Grumpy Old Men that centres on a has-been actor who dreams of becoming a Western movie cowboy.
As If We Were Catching A Cobra

Dir: Hala Alabdalla. Syria-France-UAE. 2012. 120mins
ASEAN, BFC to launch incubator for Asian filmmakers

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in partnership with Korea’s Busan Film Commission (BFC) will launch a talent incubator for young Asian filmmakers from across the region.
Asian Film Market opens with sales announcements

Busan’s Asian Film Market kicked off yesterday (Oct 8) with a patter of business including Thai sales company Gmm Tai Hub (GTH) selling thriller Countdown to Indonesia and Taiwan.
Bayona's The Impossible makes $10.3m in first weekend in Spain

Drama starring Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor sells 1m tickets and marks a historic record.
BBFC appoints Patrick Swaffer president, wants wider classification of film downloads

Swaffer succeeds Sir Quentin Thomas who stepped down after ten years.
Beardsall and Minghella's Island Pictures goes on road trip with Kirk Jones

Island Pictures, the new London-based film and TV production company set up by Sarah Beardsall and Dominic Minghella, will partner with director Kirk Jones on Are We Nearly There Yet?.
Ben Roberts to deliver keynote at Production Finance Market

The sixth Film London Production Finance Market (Oct 17-18) has confirmed its keynote speaker will be the new Director of the BFI Film Fund, Ben Roberts.
Bernardo Bertolucci named AFI FEST guest artistic director

The iconic Italian has chosen four features for his special sidebar: Lloyd Bacon’s 42nd Street, Jean Renoir’s La Regle Du Jeu, F W Murnau’s Sunrise and Jean-Luc Godard’s Vivre Ca Vie.
Bertolucci to get lifetime achivement award at EFAs

Award to be presented Dec 1 in Malta.
Between Valleys

Dir: Philippe Barcinski. Brazil. 2012. 79mins
Beyond the Hill leads the pack at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards

Five pictures have a chance of winning best film at the sixth Asia Pacific Film Awards (APSAs): Beyond The Hill (Turkey/Greece), with three nominations, and Bear (Iran) The Horde (Russia), Nameless Gangster: Rules Of The Time (Republic of Korea) and Wu Xia (China),with two each.
BFI to honour Burton and Bonham Carter; LFF jurors to include Trapero, Garai, Yates

Jury presidents are David Hare, Hannah McGill, Roger Graef, and David Heyman.
Big screen opportunities

State-of-the-art multiplexes are helping to grow the Gulf box office.
Black Movie Festival

Geneva, Switzerland, January 18 - 27
Blood

Dir: Nick Murphy. UK. 2012. 95mins
Blooming in the desert

The introduction in 2012 of Abu Dhabi’s generous production rebate underlines the region’s ambition as an international production hub.
British Film Commission welcomes new sponsors, BFI funding boost

The British Film Commission has announced three new commercial sponsors: Double Negative, MPC and Working Title Films.
Broken, Kauwboy among films nominated for EFA Discovery Award

Five nominees announced for the European Film Awards’ debut film award.
Bron Animation announces key hires

The new division of British Columbia-based Bron Studios has added former Nickelodeon UK CEO Debbie Macdonald as creative consultant.
Busan International Film Festival

17th edition of the Busan International Film Festival ran Oct 4-13; Mostofa Farooki’s Television closed the festival.
Canadian crossmedia crosses borders

Ahead of this week’s Power To The Pixel Conference and Market in London, Screen looks at how Canada’s transmedia work is the envy of other nations.
China box office monthly round-up: The Expendables 2 tops September box office

The Expendables 2 was the highest-grossing release at the Chinese box office in September; a month dominated by US films.
Cinedigm reaches independent conversion milestone

Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp in conjunction with the National Association Of Theatre Owners’ (NATO) Cinema Buying Group (CBG) said on Friday (12) it had signed more than 3,000 independent CBG screens for digital conversion.
Cinedigm strikes distribution support deal with FilmDistrict

The digital conversion specialist and alternative content distributor has licensed its Theatrical Distribution System (TDS) to FilmDistrict and expects to implement the technical platform in time for FilmDistrict’s November release of Red Dawn [pictured].
Citadel

Dir/scr: Ciaran Foy. Ireland-UK. 2012. 84mins
Cité of light

Recently opened in Paris, Luc Besson’s ambitious Cité du Cinéma combines a new home for EuropaCorp and a major new studio development.
Coming to London

The revamped BFI London Film Festival features three competitive sections and new thematic categories. Fionnuala Halligan profiles the Official Competition and selected world premieres.
Costumes come to life

The V&A’s new Hollywood Costume exhibition wows with its selections and staging.
Creative England funds two new features

Wrapt Films’ Here & Now [pictured] and Vicarious Dreams’ Here Comes the Summer awarded funding through the Advantage Media Production Fund.
Cursed Be The Phosphate

Dir: Sami Tlili. Lebanon-Qatar-Tunisia-UAE. 2012. 84mins
Darrell Roodt to direct found footage tale Safari

Production is scheduled to commence in South Africa on Oct 15.
David Magee, Jim Hart and Susanne Schneider to participate in éQuinoxe screenwriters workshop

11th éQuinoxe Germany Screenwriters’ Workshop takes place this week in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
DEG: UltraViolet to launch in Canada

Sony, Universal and Warner Bros are scheduled to release titles in the fourth quarter after home entertainment advocacy group The Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) announced on Tuesday (9) the format would follow the US and the UK.
Demanding more

The recent VoD success in the US of Bachelorette and Arbitrage shows that theatrical doesn’t have to be the starting point for independent films.
Diane Kruger, Anton Yelchin attached to 5 To 7

EXCLUSIVE: Bonnie Curtis and Julie Lynn of Mockingbird Pictures are producing the rom-com and The Solution Entertainment Group will commence pre-sales at AFM.
Digital age a major opportunity for film, says EC’s Kroes

EC Commissioner Kroes declares that digital age “isn’t a threat to the film industry”, but “an opportunity”.
Disney to kick off summer 2013 with Iron Man 3 in 3D

The May 3 release date remains unchanged for the Marvel release, while Thor: The Dark World will also go out in 3D on Nov 11 2013 as previously announced and Ant-Man will debut on Nov 6 2015.
Distribution round-up: Drafthouse takes Pietà

The distributor has acquired North American rights to Kim Ki-Duk’s South Korean Oscar foreign language submission and recent winner of the Venice Golden Lion. IFC Midnight has picked up North American rights to sci-fi thriller Crawlspace.
Dogwoof to spin Ballroom Dancer in UK

Dogwoof picks up Raindance and Tribeca winner by directors Andreas Koefoed and Christian Bonke.
DreamAgo, Hamilton International reunite for AFM screenwriting workshops

The non-profit and the Swiss watchmaker will host Hamilton Helps DreamAgo Connect during the AFM.
Echo Bridge plans Moomins holiday release

The distributor has acquired Finnish transmedia property Moomins & Midsummer Madness for the US for all rights excluding broadcast. Beverly Hills-based sales agent House Of Film represents rights and is spearheading a global awareness campaign on behalf of the property owners.
EC's state aid for film delayed

The European Commission’s Cinema Communication on state aid for the film industry will have its publication delayed by “some weeks” after initial plans to unveil the proposed new regulation in October or November.
Éden

Dir: Bruno Safadi. Brazil. 2012. 73mins
EFP umbrella companies have busy Asian Film Market

The European Film Promotion (EFP) has announced a slew of sales deals that were struck by companies under its umbrella at Busan’s Asian Film Market (Oct 8-11).
El Condor Pasa

Dir: Jeon Soo-il. South Korea. 101mins
Elizabeth Banks to star in Lakeshore, SKE’s Walk Of Shame

EXCLUSIVE: FilmDistrict will distribute the comedy in the US and Lakeshore International and Sierra/Affinity will jointly handle pre-sales when they introduce the project at the AFM.
Endeavor Pictures to introduce Maestro to AFM buyers

The classical music documentary centres on the multi-Grammy Award winning conductor Paavo Jarvi.
EuropaCorp's Taken 2 races towards $100m outside US

By Thursday Fox International reported that the Liam Neeson thriller had amassed more than $74.9m. Meanwhile Endgame Entertainment’s Looper will soar past $50m this weekend.
EuroScreen film tourism project unveils new website

EuroScreen, a €1.9bn initiative to align the film and tourist industries, has launched its new website.
Factory 25 acquires worldwide rights to New Jerusalem

Rick Alverson’s film has screened at Rotterdam, SXSW, and Sarasota and stars Will Oldham and Colm O’Leary.
FCCE’s user-generated movie format Entertainment Experience heads to China

Amsterdam-based crossmedia company FCCE debuted user-generated movie format with Paul Verhoeven last year to make thriller Tricked. Format also optioned for Sweden and the Middle East.
Film4 launches new iPad app

Information available on 500+ films from the company’s 30-year history.
For No Good Reason to open London International Animation Festival

Charlie Paul’s biopic of British artist Ralph Steadman is one of three feature films showing at this year’s edition, which runs Oct 25-Nov 4.
Fortissimo shops its way into Bergdorf documentary

Fortissimo Films has acquired all rights outside of North America to Matthew Miele’s feature documentary Scatter My Ashes At Bergdorf’s.
Fortissimo's Touch of the Light sells to Cinema de Manon for Korea

Taiwan’s official submission to the Academy Awards to be released this coming spring in Korea.
Global Film Initiative picks up Busan trio

The Global Film Initiative has picked up three films that screened at the recent Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) for North American distribution - 111 Girls, Beijing Flickers and Shyamal Uncle Turns Off The Lights.
Gone Too Far moving from stage to screen

Olivier Award-winning play Gone Too Far is being adapted as a feature film by Poisson Rogue Pictures with backing from the BFI Film Fund.
Haifa International Film Festival

Fill the Void, Out in the Dark and Six Acts were among the winners at the 28th Haifa International Film Festival, which ran Sept 29-Oct 8.
Halflife by Al Smith wins inaugural Wellcome Trust Screenwriting Prize

Al Smith has won the first ever Wellcome Trust Screenwriting Prize for Halflife, a coming-of-age love story about two brain-damaged teenagers on a road trip.
Harvey Weinstein slams piracy in LFF keynote

US film producer Harvey Weinstein singled out Apple and Google in an attack on piracy as part of his keynote speech at the 56th BFI London Film Festival.
Harvey Weinstein to keynote as part of LFF’s industry programme

Ben Roberts, Roger Michell, David Kosse, Andrew MacDonald, Julia Wrigley, Paul Brett also among speakers.
Helen Lee-Kim, Brent Jack join Good Universe

In a timely development before AFM that ends months of speculation, co-founders Joe Drake and Nathan Kahane announced on Wednesday (17) that Lee-Kim has arrived as partner and president of international sales and Jack will serve as head of international marketing and publicity.
Here Comes The Boom

Dir: Frank Coraci. US. 2012. 104mins
IFP to develop and operate Made In New York facility

The Media Center will be based in Brooklyn and is expected to open in spring 2013. It will be designed to combine traditional media and emerging technologies in a hub for filmmakers, content creators and entrepreneurs.
Imax hires to grow Europe and Africa business

Imax Corporation is aiming to extend its reach throughout Europe and Africa with the appointment of a sales exec from Arts Alliance Media.
In Search Of Oil & Sand

Dirs: Wael Omar, Philippe Dib. Egypt-UAE. 2012. 58mins
JA Bayona to receive Chicago Fest’s Emerging Visionary Award

The Spanish director of The Impossible, which shattered four-day opening records in Spain last weekend when it debuted on $13.3m through Warner Bros, will collect the honour on Oct 18.
Jodie Foster to direct Money Monster

IM Global and The Allegiance Theater will jointly finance and produce the drama and IM Global will handle sales.
John Appel's Wrong Time Wrong Place to open 25th IDFA

To mark the 25th anniversary of the festival, the film [pictured] will also screen in 25 cinemas throughout the Netherlands on the same night.
Jonathas Forest

Dir/scr: Sérgio Andrade. Brazil. 2012. 98mins
Juries revealed for Abu Dhabi Film Festival

The juries have been selected for the sixth Abu Dhabi Film Festival.
Kayan, 36 take New Currents awards at close of Busan fest

The 17th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) wrapped yesterday (Oct 13) with a record of more than 221,000 admissions.
Kelly + Victor

Dir/scr: Kieran Evans. UK. 2012. 90mins
Korea's 9ers closes two Japanese deals in Busan

Korean sales company 9ers Entertainment has clinched two sales to Japan during the on-going Asian Film Market in Busan.
Kosovo makes strides to develop film industry

The fourth edition of the international film festival PriFest in Kosovo’s capital city of Prishtina, from Sept 24-Oct 1, was the right platform to survey the state of film scene in Europe’s youngest country.
Leos Carax's Holy Motors wins big at Sitges Film Festival

Ben Wheatley’s Sightseers picks up two awards, including Best Actress for Alice Lowe, while Jennifer Lynch’s Chained wins Special Jury Award.
Looper grosses $16.7m in first ten days in China

Sources issued the numbers on Wednesday (10) after the independent sci-fi thriller was understood to have added approximately $7.5m in the second weekend through DMG Entertainment. Combined with the bulk of international grosses from mostly FilmNation licensees, the tally has reached $46m excluding second weekend results from Russia.
Luther Anderson scoops $50,000 Louisiana Film Prize Festival Weekend

Thomas Woodruff’s short film The Legend Of Luther Anderson beat out 19 other finalists at the weekend to win the inaugural high-value award.
Malaysia changes dates of new market to March 2013

The Malaysian government has pushed back the dates of its planned film, TV and related contents market from November to March next year.
Marion Cotillard to receive Gotham career tribute

The French star of Rust And Bone (pictured) will collect the honour at the 22nd Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards on Nov 26.
Mark Strong, Brian Cox, Taissa Farmiga confirmed on Collet-Serra-produced Mindscape

EXCLUSIVE: First film under the StudioCanal-Ombra Films banner gets under way; Oscar Faura to DoP; production to shoot in France, Barcelona and Canada.
Match Factory strikes co-production deal in Greece

Match Factory head Michael Weber is to be co-producer and world sales agent on Greek auteur Yannis Economides’ as-yet-untitled next feature, which is set to start shooting early next year.
MIPCOM CREATIVE TALKS: Jane Campion on Top Of The Lake

Haunting six-part detective mystery set in remote part of southern New Zealand due to hit screens later this year and early 2013.
MIPCOM Day 1: Canadian co-production talk; big Hitler project announced

MIPCOM kicked off on Monday with the conference programme focused on this year’s honorary country Canada as well as digital developments and Russian period drama “18*12” opening the screenings.
MIPCOM: Angry Birds set for autumn migration to small screen

Rovio Entertainment head of strategic partnerships Andrew Stalbow [pictured] premieres extracts of 52 Angry Birds shorts at MIPCOM, says company has long-format ambitions.
MIPCOM: Harvey Weinstein launches World Dance Awards

Weinstein was joined by Michael Flatley in making the announcement and said the event would be in the vein of the Grammy Awards and would take place around April or May.
MIPCOM: Harvey Weinstein talks TV

Upcoming TWC television productions include big budget Marco Polo, reality show Supermarket Superstar hosted by Stacey Keibler and Seal Team Six: The Raid On Osama Bin Laden.
MIPCOM: YouTube kick-starts 60 European channels

Google/YouTube global head of content Robert Kyncl delineates content “catalyser” strategy in MIPCOM keynote speech.
Moon Man

Dir: Stephen Schesch. Germany-Ireland-France. 2012. 92mins
Mumbai’s King

Dir/scr: Manjeet Singh. India. 2012. 78mins
Music Box Films takes on Jan Troell's The Last Sentence

TrustNordisk handles sales.
Nada Cirjanic and David Bishop to lead sales team at Protagonist

Jennifer Fattell joins company as sales manager.
New York Film Critics Circle to vote on Dec 3

The group has moved back its decision day after last year’s vote took place on Nov 28 as members jockeyed to be the first to announce winners and in the process excluded Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (pictured) from consideration.
Nicholas Apps named Tribeca Film Institute deputy executive director

Effective Oct 15 the new arrival will report to executive director Beth Janson and lead individual giving and corporate sponsorship initiatives and marketing and communications.
On a magic carpet ride

The vibrant and glamorous annual Arabian Nights party acts as the perfect centrepiece to the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, blending festival veterans who have been there from day one with bleary-eyed jet-lagged film folk who have just arrived from film festivals in Busan or London.
Ostlund's Play wins Nordic Council Film Prize

Ruben Ostlund and producer Erik Hemmendorff will receive the $61,000 award.
Paramount takes North America on Wolf Of Wall Street

After several rounds with the US majors, financier Red Granite has found a domestic distributor for its upcoming Martin Scorsese-Leonardo DiCaprio reunion, teeing up what is expected to be a deluge of interest from international buyers at AFM.
Paranormal Activity 4

Dirs: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. US. 2012. 88mins
Paranormal Activity 4 Want It campaign strikes global gold

Paramount’s savvy Facebook marketing campaign launched nearly three months ago and has engaged fans from Russia to Peru.
Paul Dano joins cast on Alcon’s Prisoners

Denis Villeneuve is scheduled to commence principal photography in early 2013 as Alcon co-founders and co-CEOs Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson target an autumn release through the Warner Bros output deal.
Perfect Number

Dir: Pang Eun-Jin. South Korea. 2012. 119mins
Private Peaceful

Dir: Pat O’Connor. UK. 2012. 102mins
Production underway in Asia on My Lucky Star

As previously reported on Screendaily, the prequel to Chinese hit Sophie’s Revenge sees Zhang Ziyi reprise her role in the crime caper.
Production underway on The Sea

John Banville’s adaptation of his Man Booker Prize winner set to shoot for five weeks in County Wexford, Ireland; Independent are handling international sales and will distribute in UK and Ireland.
Radiant Films International to sell The Citizen

The 3K Pictures drama will screen for buyers after the international premiere on Oct 14 at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.
Reaching for the Sky

Bond is back for his 23rd mission. Ian Sandwell explains how Skyfall looks set to maintain the momentum of the series.
Rio 2096: A Story Of Love And Fury

Dir/scr: Luiz Bolognesi. Brazil. 2012. 75mins
Rio Film Festival announces award winners

The Redentors were handed out for the Premiere Brazil strand of home-grown films as the festival came to a close on Thursday night (11).
Rise Of The Guardians

Dir: Peter Ramsey. US. 2012. 97mins
ro*co films, The Bertha Foundation partner on digital slate

The international documentary distributor is being backed by social activism philanthropists The Bertha Foundation to release more than 100 films on iTunes over the coming months.
Robert De Niro to receive SBIFF Kirk Douglas Award

The actor and Tribeca Film festival co-founder will collect the Santa Barbara’s excellence in film honour from Douglas himself on Dec 8.
Rome Film Festival to feature 59 world premieres

Seventh edition of festival, which runs Nov 9-17, will be bookended by Waiting For The Sea and Una Pistola En Cada Mano.
Rome's Alice in the City becomes autonomous, part of bigger initiative

Programme includes Kirikou trilogy finale and Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2 [pictured].
Ron Perlman joins Octane remake Angry Little God

Daniel Stamm’s remake of the Thai horror film 13: Game Of Death has a new title and is ready to go into production on Tuesday (Oct 9). IM Global’s Octane genre division handles international sales and produces and finances. Dimension holds US rights.
Royston Tan's 69 wins Busan award at close of Asian Film Market

Busan’s 7th Asian Film Market closed its four-day run yesterday at the Busan Exhibition Convention Center (BEXCO) with Royston Tan’s [pictured] 69 winning the Asian Project Market’s Busan Award.
Sam Kadi

The Syria-born, US-based filmmaker talks about his debut feature The Citizen.
Sawsan Badr to receive lifetime award at Abu Dhabi festival

The sixth Abu Dhabi Film Festival will award Egyptian actress Sawsan Badr a lifetime achievement award.
Screen Facilities Scotland awarded £10,000

Screen Facilities Scotland, a collaboration of Scottish-based film, television and commercials facilities firms, has won a £10,000 prize for business development.
Screen Gems closes deal to enter Black City

The studio is out to screenwriters to adapt Elizabeth Richards’ upcoming Romeo and Juliet-style young-adult fantasy series.
Screen Marketing & Distribution Awards 2012

Photos from the third Screen UK Marketing & Distribution Awards, held at The Grange St Paul’s Hotel on Oct 4.
Sean Stewart, Fourth Wall Studios

One of the most anticipated speakers at London’s Power To The Pixel annual Cross-Media Forum (Oct 16) will be Sean Stewart, co-founder of L.A.-based Fourth Wall Studios.
Shadow Dancer wins big at Dinard

James Marsh’s Shadow Dancer was the big winner at the 23rd edition of Brittany’s Dinard British Film Festival.
Showbox sells A Company Man to a slew of territories

Korean sales company Showbox has announced a slew of deals on action drama A Company Man at Busan’s Asian Film Market
Silver Linings, Life Of Pi among AFI FEST programme

Festival top brass unveiled the roster of galas and special screenings on Thursday (11).
Skyfall

Dir: Sam Mendes. UK-US. 2012. 143mins
Sleeper’s Wake

Dir: Barry Berk. South Africa. 2012. 94mins
Songlap

Dirs: Effendee Mazlan, Fariza Azlina Isahak. Malaysia. 2012. 100mins
Sony, Discovery and IMAX launch 3net

The global television production and distribution division will be led by president and CEO Tom Cosgrove and currently has 15-20 projects in active development.
Spike Island

Dir: Mat Whitecross. UK. 2012. 96mins
Split screen

The television business is seeing an influx of independent US film companies. John Hazelton explores the shifting production landscape that is making the small screen so attractive - even if the move can be tough
SPWA enter Small Apartments, IFC plays Would You Rather

Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions concluded the deal for North America and most international territories with the film’s financiers and producers Ben Feingold and Ash R Shah.
SXSW unveils first wave of 2013 conferences

New highlights include entrepreneur and investor focus Startup Alley and content creation Come & Capture Film Factory. The full conference line-up will appear in early 2013.
Taken 2 retains top spot at the UK box office

UPDATE: Fox’s sequel records second straight week at number one; Sony’s Hotel Transylvania charts second with $2.8m (£1.7m), while eOne’s Looper adds $1.9m (£1.2m) for $12.2m (£7.6m) to date.
TF1, Qwerty, Alliance tuning Suite Francaise with Dibb, Williams, Scott Thomas

Saul Dibb attached to direct Michelle Williams and Kristin Scott Thomas in WWII romance-drama.
The Believers

Dirs: Monica Long Ross and Clayton Brown. US. 2012. 83mins
The Interval

Dir: Leonardo Di Costanzo. Italy-Switzerland. 2012. 80mins
The Iran Job

Dir: Till Schauder. Germany-Iran-US. 2012. 93mins
The Numbers Station, Assassins among AFM screenings

Market organisers said on Thursday (11) that more than 420 films will screen from Oct 31-Nov 7 in Santa Monica. Content is selling The Numbers Station with John Cusack while Easternlight handles the Chow Yun-fat The Assassins. The schedule includes 77 world premieres and 306 market premieres.
The power of three

The Gulf festivals are playing a central role in the Arab film-making renaissance.
The public eye

The BFI London Film Festival (Oct 10-21) enters a new era in 2012, with Clare Stewart at the helm and a focus on engaging audiences.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Gangs of Wasseypur picked up by Mara Pictures

UK indie to distribute Mira Nair’s LFF title [pictured] and both parts of Anurag Kashyap’s gangster epic following negotiations initiated at this year’s Cannes.
The Tokyo connection

Celebrating its 25th edition in 2012, the Tokyo International Film Festival (Oct 20-28) has become a major launchpad into Japan and a source of films for local distributors.
Titanic Studios expands by 42,000 sq ft

Belfast studio hub, currently hosting HBO’s Game of Thrones, launches £8.3m extension.
TLA Releasing signs strategic deal with Taiwan’s G’Day Entertainment

The first titles under the distribution and co-production partnership are the comedy Spork, rom-com The Love Patient, drama The One and Longhorns.
Tom Courtenay talks about being a 'matinee idol'

50 years after winning a BAFTA for Best Newcomer for his performance as the borstal kid in The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner (1962), Tom Courtenay is enjoying an Indian summer in his film career.
Tom Harper to direct Woman in Black follow-up

EXCLUSIVE: BAFTA-nominated Harper [pictured] will direct sequel to horror smash; plot to revolve around Eel Marsh House four decades after original, shoot likely next spring.
Tom Waller plans Thai executioner biopic

Thailand-based filmmaker Tom Waller will direct the story of Thailand’s last prison executioner, Chavoret Jaruboon in feature film Chavoret: The Last Executioner.
Uma Thurman joins Nymphomaniac

Thurman [pictured] is the latest addition to the cast of Lars von Trier’s latest feature, currently shooting in Cologne, Germany.
Underground: The Julian Assange Story

Dir: Robert Connolly. Australia. 2012. 89mins
Universal, Focus set Fifty Shades screenwriter

Kelly Marcel will adapt E L James’ erotic bestseller Fifty Shades Of Grey.
Val Kilmer to receive Dallas Star Award

Kilmer will collect the honour in recognition of his career achievement at the Dallas Film Society’s annual autumn fundraising event The Art Of Film on Nov 16.
VIDEO: 56th BFI London Film Festival

View the latest videos from the 56th BFI London Film Festival.
Vision of the future

A few years after splashy Hollywood deals put the region on the film map, the Gulf has been refocusing its efforts on building a sustainable industry - and now local talent is finding its voice.
Vue to become first UK exhibitor to offer high definition streaming of video content

New multi-platform VueXtreme video player to offer latest trailers, clips, star interviews and red carpet premieres.
Wasteland producers eye new projects

The producers behind Rowan Athale’s acclaimed heist thriller Wasteland (sold by Bankside in Toronto to Momentum for the UK and a host of other distributors) have revealed details of their future projects.
Well Go USA takes Not Suitable For Children

Ryan Kwanten stars in the comedy as a party animal faced with infertility. Well Go USA struck the deal with Arclight.
What Richard Did sells to UK, France, Australia, Scandinavia

EXCLUSIVE: Protagonist has done good business on Lenny Abrahamson’s Toronto and London drama, which has opened strongly in Ireland.
Willem Dafoe, Udo Kier join von Trier’s Nymphomaniac

Jean-Marc Barr, Caroline Goodall, Kate Ashfield, Saskia Reeves, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Michaël Pas and Omar Shargawi also on board.
Winners revealed at 20th Filmfest Hamburg

Dolan, Shortland, Glasner among winners at 20th anniversary edition of Filmfest Hamburg.
World premiere of Khudojnazarov's Waiting For The Sea to open Rome Film Festival

Director, screenwriter, and author Jeff Nichols [pictured] also announced as chair of International Jury that will award the films in Competition.

Screen04 Oct 2012

Screen
04 Oct 2012