Screen
12 February 2010
View all stories from this issue.
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Close, Garcia bring Nobbs to the screen
Multi Oscar nominee Glenn Close is to reprise one of her most famous stage roles on screen. -
Aktis adds two to EFM slate
Sales agent Aktis Film International adds two new films to EFM Berlinale line-up. -
Allfilm boards Screen best pitch title Rat King
Estonia’s Allfilm will co-produce Petri Kotwica’s third feature Rat King, which received the Screen International Best Pitch Award at Tallinn’s Baltic Event Co-Production Market last December. -
Antonio Banderas to take on Spain's last Muslim king
Antonio Banderas seeks financing for historical epic based on the story of Spain’s last Muslim sultan. -
Arclight harnesses Beresford's Zebras
Arclight Films is in discussions with EFM buyers on the Bruce Beresford project Zebras after picking up international sales rights. -
AV Pictures to sell The LA Job, Rollover
AV Pictures to handle international sales on a slate of projects from London based Gateway Films -
Badge holders breathe sigh of relief as screenings ban is lifted
EFM non-buyer badge holders were relieved yesterday after a stressful couple of days in which they found themselves barred from the competition press screenings. -
BBC, AL under starter’s orders on Coe/Ovett pic
Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett, one of the great athletics rivalries of the 1980s, are coming to the big screen in time for the London 2012 Olympic Games. -
Berlin: Balance Shifts Back To Independents
The imminent collapse of the independent sector, loudly predicted at last year’s Berlin, has not only failed to materialise; this year’s festival suggest is may even benefit from the crumbling studio model. -
Bigelow becomes first woman to win BAFTA director prize
Kathryn Bigelow has become the first woman to win the best director prize at the Orange British Film Academy Awards, held in London over the weekend (February 21). -
Bittersuess lines up Love, Run Boy Run and Santiago
Berlin-based Bittersuess Pictures is lining up new films by directors Christian Alvart, Pepe Danquart and Christian Schwochow. -
Bodrov in town to outline plans for Mongol sequel
Russian writer-director-producer Sergei Bodrov will be in Berlin on Sunday to unveil his upcoming directing and production slate, including The Great Khan, the anticipated sequel to his Oscar-nominated 2007 film, Mongol. -
Brody gets Wrecked with E1
E1 Entertainment International sales chief Charlotte Mickie is talking up a trio of new projects here, headed by the psychological thriller Wrecked starring Adrien Brody. -
Bulgaria lures films with 30% rebate
Bulgaria is set to compete for film productions with its Eastern European neighbours following the proposal of a film and TV incentive that will refund up to 30% of costs. -
Buyers close on mainstream pictures at a solid EFM
Mainstream genre titles ruled a generally solid European Film Market as leaner but more aggressive buyer contingents scoured the market for quality tentpoles. -
Buyers still falling for Guadagnino's I Am Love
Buyers are continuing to lap up Luca Guadagnino’s I Am Love, starring Berlinale favourite Tilda Swinton, which is being sold by The Works. -
Buyers to meet Hoff's Ninja
CJ Entertainment will be introducing buyers to Dancing Ninja, starring David Hasselhoff and HIgh School Musical’s Luke Grabeel. -
Campanella’s Eyes still attractive
Spanish sales agency Latido has sold Juan Jose Campanella’s The Secret In Their Eyes to Filmware International for Taiwan and is in advanced negotiations for Japan, Germany and Switzerland. -
Cannons fires for Fandango
Fandango Portobello Sales has sold Italo-Turkish director Ferzan Ozpetek’s Loose Cannons (Mine Vaganti) to seven territories. -
Cell 211 takes top honours at the Goyas
Daniel Monzon’s thriller Cell 211 stole the limelight from Alejandro Amenabar’s historical epic Agora at the 25th Goya Awards ceremony last night (February 14), scooping eight awards including best film and best director, against Agora’s seven. -
Chiesa bags Spanish sale on teen Sorry trilogy
Italian outfit Adriana Chiesa Enterprises has sold its Federico Moccia’s teen trilogy to Savor for Spain. -
Cineart swoops on top arthouse pics
Benelux distributor Cineart has snapped up many of the most high-profile arthouse titles on offer at the EFM over the past few days -
ContentFilm dances off with Every Little Step
ContentFilm has picked up international rights to Endgame Entertainment’s feature documentary Every Little Step, the critically acclaimed look behind the scenes at the Broadway smash A Chorus Line. -
ContentFilm snares The Uncatchable Cowgirl Bandits
ContentFilm International has taken worldwide rights to The Uncatchable Cowgirl Bandits Of Nottingham, Texas from director Jess Manafort and writer Michael Tabb. -
Delpy, Rezo return for another 2 Days
Rezo Films and Julie Delpy are reteaming for a follow-up to Delpy’s 2007 feature directing effort, 2 Days In Paris. -
EFM News In Brief
News in brief from the European Film Market. -
Era New Horizons expands into distribution
Era New Horizons International Film Festival, the Polish event which takes place in July, has started a distribution arm, picking up six films from its 2009 festival — Steve McQueen’s Hunger, Ivan Vyrypaev’s Oxygen, Johan Grimonprez’s Double Take, Agnes Varda’s The Beaches Of Agnes, Henrik Hellstrom and Frederik Wenzel’s Burrowing and Piotr Dumala’s The Forest. -
Europe should stop looking to US, says panel on indie film finance
Oscar-nominated producer Nicolas Chartier, whose Voltage Pictures was behind The Hurt Locker, has issued a stark warning that old models of financing independent films no longer work -
F&ME embarks on biggest project yet
Film and Music Entertainment (F&ME), the London-based feature film production outfit led by Mike Downey and Sam Taylor, is embarking on its biggest project yet. -
Films Distribution locks down Cell 211 deals
Films Distribution has clinched a deal on its Spanish thriller Cell 211 with CCV for Scandinavia. -
Finnish Film Foundation supports Kaurismaki, Moomins
Aki Kaurismaki’s new project Le Havre and Maria Lindberg’s animated Moomins project are among nine features to receive $7.1m (€7.1m) from the Finiish Film Foundation. -
First Italian 3D picture set to start shooting
Production is due to start on the first Italian-made 3D feature, it will begin principal photography getting underway in Canada later this month. -
Fish Tank takes four at London critics’ awards
Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank picked up four awards at the 30th Annual London Film Critics’ Circle Awards, including best British film, whilst Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet was named film of the year. -
Fortissimo takes on Winterbottom’s Land
Colin Firth, Jim Sturgess and Matthew Macfadyen are lining up to star in Michael Winterbottom’s upcoming thriller, The Promised Land which Fortissimo Films has signed on to sell. -
Fortissimo's Reign of Sales
Fortissimo Films have completed several major deals on their EFM slate titles. John Woo produced Reign Of Assassins has gone to Lionsgate for UK distribution here at the EFM. -
Gaumont closes sales on The Round Up
French powerhouse Gaumont has announced key sales on its $29 million Holocaust drama, The Round Up. -
Generation faces 2011 premiere rule
From 2011, films seeking selection for the Berlinale’s Generation sidebar, which focuses on children’s and youth titles, must be European premieres. -
Haneke abandons 'old age' project
Oscar-nominated Austrian director Michael Haneke has abandoned his planned film about “humiliation and the physical deterioration of the aged” after seeing a Canadian project on a similar subject. -
High Point takes on Cardiff doc
High Point Films, the theatrical sales arm for Carey Fitzgerald’s High Point Media Group has just snapped up world rights to feature documentary, Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff. It will be handled by the company’s recently launched feature doc arm, Horizons. -
High Point warms to third London Microwave title
High Point Films, the international theatrical sales arm of Carey Fitzgerald’s High Point Media Group, has snapped up world rights to Freestyle, the third feature to emerge from Film London’s Microwave stable. -
Hyde Park closes sales on Cianfrance's Blue Valentine
Mimi Steinbauer’s Hyde Park International has closed a raft of deals on Derek Cianfrance’s Blue Valentine, which The Weinstein Company acquired for North America and France following its world premiere in Sundance. -
Icon closes big sales on How I Spent My Summer
Icon Entertainment International (IEI) has scored big sales on its Mel Gibson-starrer How I Spent My SummerVacation about a career criminal caught by Mexican authorities who is sent to a dangerous prison and has to learn how to survive. Adrian Grunberg is directing. -
IFC Films picks up Ghobadi’s Persian Cats for North America
IFC Films has acquired the US rights to Bahman Ghobadi’s No One Knows About Persian Cats from Wild Bunch. It plans an April release. -
IFC Takes North American rights to Boogie Woogie
IFC Films has acquired North American rights from The Works International to Duncan Ward’s black comedy Boogie Woogie. -
IM Global and Reliance Big forge sales alliance
Stuart Ford’s aggressive US-based sales powerhouse IM Global has struck an alliance with Reliance Big to handle international sales on its films. -
Independent, Mogador team on erotic thriller
Independent Partners Films and Mogador Films have announced plans to collaborate on a second erotic arthouse film. Rolf Peter Kahl will direct The Lost Love, and Melanie Kretschmann (Blutsfreundschaft) is already attached to star. -
Independents step up to Hollywood funding crisis
The crisis in the Hollywood studio system could signal a major upturn for the independent production and finance business, key players are hinting in Berlin. -
Intramovies chooses Life
Intramovies, the Rome-based sales outfit, has picked up world sales rights on Berlinale Panorama selection One Life Maybe Two by Alessandro Aronadi. -
Jinga scares up US deal horror Finale
UK-based production and sales outfit Jinga has closed a North American deal on its supernatural horror film Finale with Image Entertainment. It is scheduled for May 2010 release. -
Kao joins Jackman in Wang’s Snow Flower And The Secret Fan
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation star Archie Kao has signed on as the male lead in Wayne Wang’s adaptation of Lisa See’s bestseller Snow Flower And The Secret Fan. -
Kapur boards Three Lawrences for K5
Shekhar Kapur has signed on to direct the thriller The Three Lawrences for K5 International and Convergence Entertainment. -
Kaurismaki to make new movie in France
Finnish maverick Aki Kaurismaki is hatching a new movie in France called Le Havre. The film, a dramatic comedy about “a shoeblack who tries to save a refugee” has received script development funding from The Finnish Film Foundation. -
Korea’s CLP steps up with new KT deal
South Korean buyer CLP International has announced a deal with the territory’s largest telecom operator Korea Telecom (KT) to supply them with overseas box office hits for KT’s IPTV service Qook. -
Le Danse sets rhythm for Doc & Film
Paris-based Doc & Film International has closed further sales on the Cesar-nominated documentary La Danse,The Paris Opera Ballet. -
LevelK sells The Temptation Of St Tony to Olive Films for US
Tine Klint’s LevelK sells Veiko Öunpuu’s second feature to Olive Films for US distribution. -
Locarno unmoved by Sarajevo date change
The Locarno International Film Festival is not flustered by the Sarajevo Film Festival’s decision to bring its 16th edition forward a week to July 23-31, according to Locarno’s industry office chief Nadia Dresti. -
Madagascar's Frolick to write Spanish animation Holy Night
Madagascar writer Billy Frolick is to co-write Juan Galiñanes’ 3D animation Holy Night. -
Match Factory raises sales on Submarino
The Match Factory has closed a raft of deals for key territories on Thomas Vinterberg’s Submarino, which screened in competition here in Berlin. -
Memento does brisk sales on Puzzle, Woman In The Fifth
Memento has done a roaring trade on its Berlinale slate. -
MK2 signs distribution deal with Israel's Orlando
MK2 has signed a distribution output deal with Israeli distributor Orlando Films. -
Momentum climbs Arclight's Red Hill
Arclight Films has sold UK rights to Momentum on Patrick Hughes’ Australian thriller Red Hill, one of the hottest marketing screenings here following its world premiere in Panorama. -
Momentum, Square One take Agnosia
Filmax International has closed a pair of major territory deals on its romantic thriller Agnosia, from the producers of The Orphanage and Pan’s Labyrinth. -
Neumann praises Berlinale’s ‘bridge building’
Germany’s Culture Minister Bernd Neumann has praised the Berlinale’s for building cultural bridges -
NFD commits to local film with new hires
Nordisk Film Distribution (NFD) has appointed Lone Korslund as head of co-productions, and Rasmus Krogh as its new local film buyer. -
Nimbus reveals upcoming slate
Prolific Danish outfit Nimbus, in Berlin with competition titles Thomas Vinterberg’s Submarino and Alice de Champfleury Sun Shine (Sol Skin), has announced details of its upcoming films. -
Odeon performs u-turn on Alice boycott threat
The UK’s biggest cinema chain climbs down from threats to boycott Disney’s forthcoming Alice In Wonderland after striking a deal with the studio. -
Optimum takes UK rights to Guillem Morales' Julia's Eyes
DeAPlaneta has sold UK rights to Guillem Morales’ hotly anticipated horror Julia’s Eyes, produced by Guillermo del Toro, to Optimum Releasing. -
Other Angle seals raft of EFM deals
Other Angle Pictures has announced healthy sales on its slate following the EFM. -
Out of the blue and into the black
If 20th Century Fox regretted the co-financing alliance it made with Paramount Pictures on Titanic, splitting distribution rights and the pot on what would go on to become the biggest film of all time, it was not going to make the same move on Avatar. -
Peace Arch adopts Offspring
Peace Arch has acquired international sales rights to Moderncine’s Offspring: The Woman based on Jack Ketchum and Lucky McKee’s upcoming horror novel. -
Pere promises flexibility in Piazza Grande line-up
Locarno Film Festival’s new artistic director Olivier Pere will be more flexible in his programming for the nightly open-air programme on the town’s Piazza Grande. -
Perfect Circle signs up to Blind Spot werewolf picture
Vancouver’s Perfect Circle Productions has boarded AJ Annila’s new project Human as co-producers with Blind Spot Pictures. -
Pinewood, Studio Hamburg form joint venture
Pinewood Studios and Studio Hamburg have launched a joint venture to encourage European and international film-makers to shoot in Germany. -
Producers hatch romantic portmanteau in Berlin
An English language omnibus featuring 10 short films by German and international directors has been hatched with the title Love Berlin – How We Met. The film, which will shoot this summer, plans to show the city at its most romantic. -
Protagonist takes on Monsters
UK sales outfit Protagonist is commencing sales on sci-fi pic Monsters, which it has just added to its EFM sale. -
Pyramide International knows what buyers want
Pyramide International has closed several deals for Italian director Silvio Soldini’s eighth feature What More Do I Want (Cosa Voglio Di Piu), which had its world premiere in the Berlinale Special section. -
Redgrave In Ruins for Keiller
Vanessa Redgrave has signed on as Narrator for Robinson In Ruins, the long-awaited follow-up to Patrick Keiller’s celebrated 1990s films London and Robinson In Space. -
Revolver falls for Pascal Chaumeil’s Heartbreaker
Revolver Entertainment has acquired Pascal Chaumeil’s directorial debut Heartbreaker from Gregoire Melin’s French sales company Kinology. -
Robert Benmussa, producer, The Ghost Writer
The producer of Roman Polanski’s Berlin competition entry The Ghost Writer tells Patricia Dobson about the challenges during post production – and why financing the film wasn’t easy. -
Rome on collision course with AFM
The fifth edition of the International Rome Film Festival is set to clash with the American Film Market. -
Rome's Cinecitta teams up with Montana for global push
Rome’s Cinecitta Studios is forging a partnership with U.S. based Montana Artists Agency to strengthen their global reach in servicing film, and media industries. -
Rumours abound on next fund chief
The German film industry rumour-mill has gone into overdrive during the Berlinale over who will replace Filmstiftung NRW chief Michael Schmid-Ospach when he departs in April. -
Screen International changes to reflect market needs
Screen International is changing the way it delivers information for its subscribers; ScreenDaily is now only available to subscribers. -
Serkis, Cave plan motion-capture Opera
Andy Serkis, famous for pioneering motion-capture performance in The Lord Of The Rings, King Kong and the upcoming Tintin films, has revealed he will collaborate with musician Nick Cave on a motion-capture movie of The Threepenny Opera. The Brecht and Weill musical play was first performed in 1928 in Berlin.“It’s nice to announce it in its hometown,” said Serkis this week. The actor is in town to talk about his bravura performance (pictured) in sexdrugs&rock&roll (Panorama) as -
Shoreline sells Sympathy to US, latest Chopper saga to Germany
Shoreline has announced a pair of deals, selling North American rights to the horror film Sympathy to Breaking Glass Pictures, and German rights to Fat Belly — Chopper (Unchopped) to WVG. -
Sierra sends out SOS to buyers
Nick Meyer’s Sierra Pictures is handling international sales at EFM on Michele Ohayon’s documentary SOS /State Of Security. -
Singapore’s MDA takes Bait
Arclight Films has slotted financing into place on its upcoming shark-attack film Bait 3D, in the first official Australia-Singapore project since the countries signed a co-production treaty in 2007. -
Sola picks up Sycholt's Themba
Sola Media picks up international rights to South Africa-set football tale Themba. -
Soloman Kane battles in UK, France gets Le Mac
ScreenDaily’s weekly round-up of the local and independent openings in key markets this week. -
Spain's Imagina unfolds Paper Birds at EFM
Madrid-based outfit Imagina will be introducing buyers to Spanish buzz title Paper Birds (Pájaros de Papel) during the EFM. -
Strickland Sounds out horror flick
Multi award-winning director Peter Strickland, who was in Berlin competition last year with Katalina Varga(pictured), is plotting a new Italy-set horror film. -
StudioCanal enjoys bumper EFM
StudioCanal has enjoyed a bumper EFM. Since selling The Last Exorcism (formerly known as Cotton) to Lionsgate for the US last week, the French major has racked up multiple major deals on its eclectic slate. -
StudioCanal rallies US sale on Army Of Crime
Robert Guédiguian’s Army Of Crime, which had its world premiere out of competition at Cannes last year, has been sold to Lorber Films for the US by StudioCanal. -
Summit Crownes key sales
Summit International has closed key territories on its Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts comedy Larry Crowne as buyers responded to the prospect of the pair’s first match-up since Charlie Wilson’s War. -
Taxi for von Trier?
It was a meeting of heavyweights. Over the weekend, Martin Scorsese and Lars von Trier came face to face here in Berlin. -
The Devil's Double
Currently shooting in Malta, The Devil’s Double tells the story of Saddam Hussein’s son Uday and his body-double Latif Yahia. -
The trouble with money
The introduction of the UK tax credit in 2006 was meant to end the war between the film financiers and the UK’s Inland Revenue. So why is the battle still raging over Section 48? -
TIFF firms 2010 move downtown
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has set some major changes for visiting industry for its 2010 event, which takes place September 10-19 -
Tom Tykwer's One Fine Day leads launch of FilmAfrica! training scheme
Tom Tykwer (pictured) and Marie Steinmann’s One Fine Day Films and the Deutsche Welle Akademie launch new training scheme for African film-makers. -
Travel ban forced Panahi to stay home
Iranian film-maker Jafar Panahi has fallen victim to the travel ban imposed by president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s regime -
Treasure trove of sales for Double Edge
Taiwan-based Double Edge Entertainment has announced today a cluster of European and Asian sales, all closed at the European Film Market, on The Treasure Hunter (pictured). -
Trust’s hot Revenge
Scandinavian sales powerhouse TrustNordisk has revealed details of more EFM deals. The Revenge, directed by Susanne Bier (pictured), has gone to Spain (Golem) and Poland (Vivarto) -
UKFC reveals latest round of development funding
The UK Film Council reveals the latest round of projects to benefit from its Development Fund. -
Vanessa Redgrave to receive BAFTA fellowship
BAFTA to honour Vanessa Redgrave with the Academy Fellowship. -
Warner and Odeon strike digital deal
Warner Bros Pictures International (WBPI) has teamed up with Odeon cinemas to help speed up the conversion to digital cinema across all of Odeon’s sites in the UK. -
We Distribution closes deals on Bodyguards And Assassins
World sales outfit We Distribution has closed deals for the $23 million budget Peter Chan produced Bodyguards And Assassins. Metropolitan took France and TMC took Turkey. -
Weekly International Box Office - February 12
ScreenDaily brings you the weekly international box-office news. -
Why Not's Pascal Caucheteux, Gregoire Solat win Toscan prize
The producers are awarded for their contribution to French cinema over the past year. -
Wide closes further sales on Beginning To End, Gigola
French sales outfit Wide Management has closed yet more deals on its Berlinale slate. -
Wide closes wave of sales on Godard doc
Tale of friendship and enstrangement between French cinema masters Godard and Truffat proves hot seller. -
Wide seals deals on End, Room
French production and sales outfit Wide Management has confirmed a wave of deals on Portuguese-language drama From Beginning To End (Do Comeco Ao), Enrique Buchichio’s Leo’s Room (El Cuarto De Leo) and Laurence Charpentier’s Gigola. -
Wild Bunch Benelux kicks off EFm with spending spree
Wild Bunch Benelux has been on a mini-acquisition spree, company boss Pim Hermeling has confirmed three new pick-ups. -
Wild Bunch pitches Pancho, sells Zhang’s Noodle Shop
Wild Bunch is set to reteam with Emir Kusturica for his upcoming Pancho Villa biopic, which it is rumoured will star Johnny Depp. -
Wolf picks up Italian indie David's Birthday for the US
US distributor Wolfe has snapped up North American rights for Italian indie David’s Birthday (Il Compleanno),a psychological drama set in the south of Italy.
