Screen
13 Dec 2012

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Eurimages supports Wenders, Virzi and Mundruczo

Co-production fund announces final selections for 2012 after board meeting in Dubai.
Wild Bunch to unveil comedy-driven French 2013 slate at Paris Rendez-vous

EXCLUSIVE: Company will also launch sales on Claire Denis vendetta picture, Luc Jacquet’s immersive forest documentary and upcoming dramas from Abdellatif Kechiche and Bruno Dumont.
10 Things I Hate About Life begins shoot

Intandem Films & Mad Chance Productions’ independent comedy is written and directed by Gil Junger.
Academy moves back nominations deadline to Jan 4

The official date for members to vote has been extended by one day from Jan 3 to Jan 4. Votes must be submitted by 5pm PT.
Academy unveils foreign-language shortlist

Nine films will advance to the next round of voting from a pool of 71. Germany’s Barbara and Spain’s Blancanieves fail to make the cut.
Actress race heats up with young talents Lawrence and Chastain

How the Best Actress race is shaping up to be this season’s strongest acting category.
Angelina Jolie sets directorial follow-up at Universal, Walden

The star’s second outing after In The Land Of Blood And Honey is Unbroken, a survival story based on Laura Hillenbrand’s novel Unbroken: A World War II Story Of Survival, Resilience, And Redemption.
Awards round-up: Daniel Day-Lewis, Tom Hooper, Mychael Danna

Day-Lewis will receive the 28th Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s Montecito Award on Jan 26.
Awards round-up: Judd Apatow; WGA

The comedy powerhouse will receive the Critics’ Choice Louis XIII Genius Award at the 18th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards ceremony on Jan 10.
BAFTA/LA elects Gary Dartnall chair, announces board

Screen International’s North American advertising chief Nigel Daly has been voted in as deputy-chairman.
Bag Of Flour

Dir: Kadija Leclere. Belgium-Morocco-France. 2012. 92mins
Baikonur

Dir: Veit Helmer. Germany-Russia-Kazakhstan. 2012. 94mins
Benoit Jacquot’s Farewell My Queen wins Louis Delluc Prize

Benoit Jacquot’s French revolution drama Farewell My Queen (Les Adieux à La Reine) has won the Louis Delluc Prize for best French film in 2012, the awards presided over by Gilles Jacob announced on Friday.
Berlinale's Generation selections include Gilroy's The Cold Lands and Mordaunt's The Rocket

The Berlinale has announced the first selections for its Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus competitions.
Breaking Glass acquires North America on From The Head; world on Stuck To Your Pillow

UPDATED: George Griffith’s From The Head stars Matthew Lillard as the charismatic bathroom attendant of a seedy New York strip joint and was shot entirely in a bathroom.
Bron Studios to make animated debut on Sole Mates

The Vancouver-based company is teaming up with Hidden Empire Film Group on the tale of love lost and found.
Bully to receive PGA 2013 Stanley Kramer Award

The documentary’s director Lee Hirsch and producer Cynthia Lowen will collect the honour on Jan 26 in Beverly Hills.
Cairo to get first indie screen

Egyptian filmmaker Tamer El Said of Zero Production and The Kite Runner star and filmmaker Khalid Abdalla spearhead creation of Cimatheque theatre.
Capri, Hollywood Festival honours Silver Linings Playbook

Festival top brass have anointed David O Russell’s rom-com and awards season contender its Best Film Of The Year.
Case study: Bullhead

The challenges of producing and distributing Belgian drama Bullhead [pictured] were discussed by Savage Film producer Bart Van Langendonck and Celluloid Dreams boss Hengameh Panahi. The pair spoke to Screen at the Les Arcs European Film Festival.
China box office round-up: Life Of Pi, Cold War rule in November

The Chinese film market warmed up in November as overall admissions and box office were on the rise compared to the slightly slower market in October.
Clare Stewart, Nadine Labaki among Sundance 2013 jurors

Sundance Institute announced today 19 members of five juries heading into the Park City event, scheduled to run from Jan 17-27.
Connecticut massacre prompts Hollywood schedule changes

The Weinstein Company (TWC) has cancelled Tuesday nights’ [18] Los Angeles premiere of Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained while Paramount has altered its campaign for Jack Reacher.
Constantin Film acquires film rights to Unwind

Neal Shusterman’s young adult sci-fi bestseller takes place in a dystopian future where parents can elect to donate their teenage children’s organs.
Creative industries wary of new Government copyright reform

Business secretary Vince Cable has today announced new measures to make it easier for people to legally use copyrighted material; UK execs are wary.
Discovery strikes deal for SBS Nordic

Discovery Communications is to buy pan-Scandinavia broadcaster SBS Nordic from ProSiebenSat1 Group for £1.07bn (€1.325 bn).
Disney completes $4.1bn LucasFilm acquisition

At closing Disney issued 37.07m shares and made a cash payment of $2.2m. Based upon the closing price of Disney shares on Dec 21 at $50, the transaction had a total value of approximately $4.06bn.
Dolby Atmos continues EMEA roll-out

Immersive sound system installed in sixteen cinemas; studios embracing mixing technology.
Dubai Filmmart set for expansion

The Dubai Film Market’s trading platform Filmmart wraps this weekend following a successful fifth edition with several acquisitions under negotiation and plans for expansion next year.
Film funding problems with HMRC

Draft guidance published by HMRC suggests that the advance assurance facility for the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) on which many film productions depend is much less, well, assured.
Fox International Productions starts Panda Eyes shoot

Isabel Coixet directs Sophie Turner from the small screen smash Game Of Thrones in her feature film debut. Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Rhys Ifans and Claire Forlani also star.
Freestyle acquires Julia Dyer’s The Playroom

Freestyle Releasing and Freestyle Digital Media have taken theatrical and all DVD and VOD rights to the drama and have set a Feb 8 day-and-date release.
Ganguly debut set to be Banished

Bengali actress Churni Ganguly, who appeared in Kaushik Ganguly’s Sound and Laptop, is set to make her directorial debut with a feature film about Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin.
Goldcrest offers three docs at Sundance

EXCLUSIVE: World premieres include Sebastian Junger’s Tim Hetherington documentary [pictured]; company talks about its ‘comeback.’
Gormican starts New York shoot for Zac Efron, Imogen Poots comedy

London-based What If It Barks Films has started shooting its first US feature, Are We Officially Dating.
Hobbit destroys international foes with $138m launch

Peter Jackson’s return to Middle Earth delivered an other-worldly result as New Line and MGM’s first in a new JRR Tolkien trilogy opened on 18,200 screens in 56 markets through Warner Bros Pictures International (WBPI).
Hobbit scores biggest North American December release

The estimated $84.8m three-day haul through Warner Bros makes New Line/MGM’s fantasy adventure the biggest film ever to open in December.
Hobbit stands tall on $96m international hold

UPDATE: Warner Bros Pictures International top brass confirmed on Monday (Dec 24) that New Line/MGM/Warner Bros’ Middle Earth saga added $96m over the weekend from 18,417 screens in 59 markets – $5m higher than Sunday estimates.
Hobbit stays top in US; Zero Dark Thirty stuns in limited bow

The fantasy saga from New Line/MGM/Warner Bros stayed atop the box office despite a 57% slide and grossed an estimated $36.7m to climb to $149.9m heading into the holidays. Disney crossed the $1.5bn mark for the year-to-date.
Hobbit to soar past $200m international box office

Warner Bros/New Line/MGM’s fantasy stands on the cusp of $189m through Warner Bros Pictures International after its first week in release and is expected to dominate the weekend session.
Hobbit, Django, Les Mis drive final US weekend of 2012

In a spirited session, New Line/MGM/Warner Bros’ The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey ruled in its third weekend on an estimated $32.9m. Skyfall crossed $1bn worldwide (see separate story) and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures set a new company record for a calendar year.
Hugues Barbier bolsters ranks at Toronto’s Raven Banner

Barbier arrives as manager of festivals/acquisitions after serving in an organisational and programming role at the Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival for more than four years.
Ice work as France skis to victory at Les Arcs

France shot to victory at the annual European Cinema Ski Cup competition in Les Arcs, which also saw one high profile disqualification.
Immersed in the story

With a range of projects continuing to expand the possibilities of 3D, John Hazelton explores the front runners for awards recognition.
Imogene gets release date, new name

The Toronto 2012 entry starring Kristen Wiig is now called Girl Most Likely and will go out theatrically through Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions on Jul 19.
Industry moves: veterans Steven DeMille and Garrett Lee join IMG

DeMille is named evp of marketing and sales at Inception Media Group while Lee becomes evp of product development.
Irish industries see boost in employment, record level of foreign investment, reports IFB

IFB touts rising employment in audiovisual industries and growing production expenditure, despite IFB budget decline in tough economic conditions.
Jiseul

Dir/scr: O Muel. South Korea. 2012. 108mins
Joe Wright

The director talks about his fresh take on Tolstoy classic Anna Karenina.
Journey To The Christmas Star

Dir: Nils Gaup. Norway. 2012. 77mins
Julien Temple wraps Rio documentary Children of The Revolution

Rio-themed film will be delivered in October 2013.
Lakeshore, SKE add cast to Walk Of Shame

Bill Burr, Liz Carey, Ken Davitian and Willie Garson are among those who join Elizabeth Banks on the comedy. Sierra/Affinity and Lakeshore introduced the project to international buyers at the recent AFM.
Les Arcs 2012 review: winter warmer

The fourth edition of Les Arcs European Film Festival involved seminars, screenings and skiing — and strengthened its reputation as a productive and enjoyable event.
Les Arcs opens with a “snowflake” that snowballed

The Les Arcs European Film Festival opened on Saturday night with a screening of It Was the Son – an Italian melodrama that “started as a snowflake” at last year’s event.
Les Arcs showcases Work in Progress features

Details revealed of 11 upcoming European features seeking distribution and sales agents.
Les Misérables earns $23.4m from holiday launches

Universal Pictures International reported on Wednesday (26) that Working Title’s musical has reached an estimated $23.4m following record-breaking launches and previews in seven territories.
LevelK takes on international sales for The Rocket

Danish sales company LevelK has struck a deal with Red Lamp Films to handle international sales of The Rocket, which will world premiere at the Berlinale.
London pirate DVD trader jailed for 18 months

Bermondsey trader, in business for more than 15 years, admitted to making and possessing 5,000 fake DVDs; anti-piracy body sees results in UK.
Lost In Thailand finds success at Chinese box office

Local comedy Lost In Thailand has grossed a whopping $77.8m (RMB485m) after eight days on release in China, blowing away the peak box office season’s bigger budget films.
Lovelace, Don Jon’s Addiction, Frances Ha among first wave of Berlin Panorama titles

Berlin announces 22 films in Panorama section, with Korea well-represented; strand to bestow new award.
Lyrics Revolt

Dirs: Torah Production. Qatar-Syria-Palestine-France-Lebanon. 2012. 52mins
MEPs adopt Creative Europe report

Copyright reform in EC Commissioner Kroes’ digital “to-do” list for 2013/14.
Metrodome takes on UK rights to Finnish hit Purge

Metrodome has acquired all UK rights to Finnish drama Purge from TrustNordisk.
Middle Earth keeps international arena under spell

DEC 31 UPDATE: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey dominated a third consecutive weekend at the box office as an estimated $106.5m haul through Warner Bros Pictures International propelled the early running total to a formidable $464m.
Montenegro and Russia welcomed into EFP family, EFP receives backing for 2013 activities

Montenegro and Russia are the latest European countries to be welcomed into the European Film Promotion (EFP) family, bringing the network’s membership up to 35 promotional organisations operating from 36 countries across Europe.
New distribution fund set to boost Flemish films

EXCLUSIVE: Flanders Image is preparing to launch a financial support scheme that will award funds to international distributors of Flemish films.
New films from Rossellini and Foreman to be showcased at Berlinale's Forum Expanded

Forum, which presents film programmes, exhibitions and discussions, holds its eighth edition at the 2013 Berlinale and will also pay tribute to Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica
New Wim Wenders Foundation to acquire director's films held by third parties

Rights to all of Wim Wenders’ films still held by third parties – such as Hamburg producer Peter Schwarzkopff - are to be acquired by the newly founded Wim Wenders Foundation (WWF) in Düsseldorf by the end of this year.
New world order

China’s continued growth, the Eurozone crisis and the ongoing debate about release windows made the past year a tumultuous one for the global film business. Screen revisits 10 game-changing stories of 2012.
ODEON launches Studios concept in Leicester Square

Exhibitor ODEON is launching its newly refurbished cinema in London’s Leicester Square, ODEON Studios.
Officer Down

Dir: Brian A Miller. US. 2012. 92mins
Open Road sets Jan 24 release for Ten

David Ayer directs Arnold Schwarzenegger in the thriller. QED International financed and handled international sales.
Palm Springs International Film Festival unveils festival roster

Pablo Berger’s Spanish foreign language Oscar submission Blancanieves and Paul Andrew Williams’ Unfinished Song will bookend the festival as organisers announced the galas, premieres and New Visions / New Voices strands.
Parental Guidance

Dir: Andy Fickman. US. 2012. 105mins
Park Circus to handle theatrical release of Paramount classics

Park Circus has been appointed as repertory theatrical sales representative for Paramount’s library.
Picturehouse partners with MUBI

Partnership will enable Picturehouse members to receive 90 days of free access to MUBI as part of their annual membership.
Preview: The Hobbit, Les Misérables eye holiday bounty

UPDATE: Warner Bros Pictures International top brass reported on Friday [28] that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey had reached $373m heading into its third weekend.
PSIFF unveils Talking Pictures programme

Palm Springs International Film Festival top brass have lined up events with Peter Greenaway, Naomi Watts, Tom Hooper and Eddie Redmayne and Alan Cumming.
Rabbit's Killing next for Jayasundara

Paris-based Sri Lankan director Vimukthi Jayasundara’s next feature will be a tale of homecoming set in Galle, a port-city in southern Sri Lanka.
Relativity Foreign launches; company hires Camela Galano

UPDATED: Relativity Media has cemented its international ambitions with the launch of a new division that creates another sales agency in what has been a busy year for the space.
Reliance, Wanda Group to form joint venture

India’s Reliance Group and China’s Dalian Wanda Group have announced plans to create a joint venture covering real estate and multiplexes in India and the US.
Richard Gere to receive Palm Springs Chairman’s Award

The star of Arbitrage, riding high on a Golden Globe dramatic lead actor nomination, will collect the honour at the24th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) on Jan 5.“Throughout his career Richard Gere has established himself as an accomplished actor and producer and yet still finds time to support crucial cultural and humanitarian causes,” said festival chairman Harold Matzner. Prior recipients of the Chairman’s Award include Ben Affleck, George Cloone
Rotterdam Signals to honour Kira Muratova, to showcase new TV and web series

The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has added two programmes to its Signals offerings.
Rotterdam's Spectrum programme includes Hideo Nakata's The Complex

The International Film Festival Rotterdam has announced intial selections for its Bright Future and Spectrum programmes.
Rouge International bulks up slate ahead of Les Arcs

Julie Gayet and Nadia Turincev’s Paris-based production company is also set to unveil rough-cut of A Spell To Ward off the Darkness in Les Arcs.
Rouge International bulks up slate with Family Film ahead of Les Arcs

Julie Gayet and Nadia Turincev’s Paris-based production company is also set to unveil a rough-cut of A Spell To Ward off the Darkness in Les Arcs.
Round Trip

Dir: Meyar Al Roumi. Syria-UAE-France-Germany-Egypt. 2012. 73mins
Rust and Bone, Holy Motors among Lumiere leaders

Rust and Bone, Farewell My Queen, Holy Motors and Camille Rewinds lead the nominations list for France’s equivalent of the Golden Globes.
Sadourni’s Butterflies

Dir/scr: Dario Nardi. Argentina-UK-Italy. 2012. 94mins
Sarajevo Uni names Film Factory students

The final list of selected candidates for the new doctoral level programme Film Factory has been announced by The University Sarajevo School of Science and Technology.
Screen Australia backs comedies in latest funding round

Australian writer/directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes and producer Julie Ryan have scored development money from Screen Australia for their next picture, crime comedy They Shoot Hostages, Don’t They?
Screen Australia backs Thornton, Ayres projects

Screen Australia is to invest in five new feature films, three of which are from the proven directors Warwick Thornton (Samson And Delilah), Tony Ayres (The Home Song Stories) and Kriv Stenders (Red Dog).
Seven films advance in Oscar make-up category

The shortlist comprises Hitchcock, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Les Misérables, Lincoln, Looper, Men in Black 3 and Snow White And The Huntsman.
SF Norge acquires majority share in Motion Blur

Subsidiary of Scandinavian major Svensk Filmindustri has acquired a 51% majority share in the Norwegian production entity.
Showbox picks up Yoon Jong-bin's Kundo

Korea’s Showbox/Mediaplex will handle international sales on hit director Yoon Jong-bin’s upcoming Kundo: Age Of The Rampant which has recently cast top stars Ha Jung-woo (The Yellow Sea) and Gang Dong-won (Secret Reunion).
Simon Chinn

Oscar-winning producer Simon Chinn has two films on this year’s documentary Oscar shortlist. He talks to Wendy Mitchell about Searching For Sugar Man, The Imposter and what¹s next on his ambitious slate.
Skyfall crosses $1bn at worldwide box office

The milestone caps a remarkable run for Sony/MGM/Eon’s James Bond thriller several weeks after it became Sony’s biggest global release. It has become the first film to cross £100m in the UK.
Stephen Garrett, Alex Hope join Creative Skillset board

Kudos chairman and Double Negative MD join board of training and support body.
Sundance: Screenwriters Lab, Documentary grant recipients

The Sundance Institute announced on Monday (17) it would dedicate the January Screenwriters Lab to the memory of the late founding creative advisor Frank Pierson.
The Butterfly Room

Dir: Jonathan Zarantonello. US-Italy. 2012. 87mins
The Guilt Trip

Dir: Anne Fletcher. US. 2012. 93mins
The Hobbit journeys to the top of the UK box office

Warner’s Lord of The Rings prequel takes $18.8m (£11.6m), including previews, to debut at number one.
The Lebanese Rocket Society

Dirs/scr: Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige. Lebanon-France-Qatar. 2012. 95mins
The Tower

Dir: Kim Ji-hoon. South Korea. 2012. 121mins
TLA, Spain’s filmin form online partnership

TLA Releasing’s LGBT catalogue will be available to the Spanish market.
Tobias Lindholm’s A Hijacking wins at Les Arcs

Danish thriller A Hijacking (Kapringen) has won the Crystal Arrow at the fourth Les Arcs European Film Festival.
Toronto critics award The Master

Paul Thomas Anderson’s drama takes home four awards; Denis Lavant, Rachel Weisz scoop acting awards.
True Friends

Dirs: Stephan Archinard, Francois Prevot-Leygonie. France. 2012. 104mins
Universal Pictures sets $2.9bn box office record

The studio’s astonishing turnaround was underlined emphatically on Thursday (20) when top brass announced that 2012 will mark the best year at the global box office in Universal’s 100-year history with theatrical grosses surpassing $2.927bn to date.
US senators criticise ‘grossly inaccurate’ Zero Dark Thirty

Kathryn Bigelow’s Osama bin Laden thriller is under fire from a bipartisan group of senators who have written to Sony calling for a disclaimer to be added to the film; Bigelow disputes interpretation.
Vive la France!

As the editorial team at Screen surveyed 2012’s highs and lows and game-changing news stories, one trend that struck us was the huge success of French films abroad in 2012.
Wadjda, Inside clinch top prizes at Dubai film festival

Haifaa Al Mansour’s Wadjda won both best film and best actress in the Muhr Arab feature competition at this year’s Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), while Turkish drama Inside won best film and best actor in the Muhr AsiaAfrica competition.
Warner pulls out of theatrical exhibition in Japan

Japan’s Aeon Group has announced plans to buy out Time Warner Group’s 50% holdings in theatrical exhibitor Warner Mycal Cinemas.
Well Go USA kindles Oscar entry Touch of the Light

Fortissimo sells Taiwanese box office hit drama to US outfit for spring 2013 release.
Wes Anderson

The director talks about Moonrise Kingdom, a film inspired by children’s literature and Americana
When Monaliza Smiled

Dir/scr: Fadi G. Haddad. Jordan. 2012. 95mins
White Tiger

Dir: Karen Shakhnazarov. Russia. 2012. 104mins
Wong Kar Wai's The Grandmaster to open Berlinale

Film, starring Tony Leung Chiu Wai, to screen out of competition.
Zac Efron, Marcia Gay Harden join Parkland

The pair boost a cast that includes previously announced Paul Giamatti, Billy Bob Thornton and Jacki Weaver on Exclusive Media and Playtone’s upcoming drama. Financier Exclusive Media holds worldwide rights.
Zero

Dir/scr: Nour-Eddine Lahmari. Morocco. 2012. 111mins

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13 Dec 2012