News archive
Russia's Igumentseva leads Cannes Cinefondation winners
Three winners selected from 15 student film competition.
Artificial Eye picks up Holy Motors, Therese Desqueyroux
UK distributor Artificial Eye has completed a further four acquisitions in Cannes.
Arab Spring makes way for new look Cairo Film Festival
The 35th Cairo Film Festival will implement a new structure in order to benefit from state support.
Developing Your Film Festival training event to be run in July
Second edition will take place during Motovun Film Festival in Croatia.
Screen Academy Scotland launches filmmaker talent search
The low budget initiative will be run at Edinburgh Napier University.
Roskino launches DOORS initiative
The new market designed to promote Russian cinema to international buyers and distributors, will run during the upcoming Moscow International Film Festival.
Shanghai film festival unveils competition line-up
The 15th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) has unveiled the first 10 films in its Golden Goblet Award competition lineup, which includes Russian filmmaker Karen Shakhnazarov’s White Tiger and Chrysalis from Spain’s Paula Ortiz.
Frank Bryant to spearhead Fox Home Entertainment int’l digital pipeline
Frank Bryant has been appointed to the new role of SVP digital international home entertainment and will oversee licensing for the studio across PPV, VoD and EST platforms.
Chulpan Khamatova to produce Mayakovsky for Roskino
The project will be directed by Alexander Shein and will explore the life of Russian poet and artist Vladimir Mayakovsky.
Finecut seals further deals on In Another Country
Seoul-based sales company Finecut has sold Hong Sang-soo’s Cannes competition In Another Country to Spain (Golem Distribucion) and Japan (Bitters End).
Men In Black do battle with men in tights
Sony Pictures Releasing International will unleash Men In Black 3 this weekend in more than 90 territories day-and-date with North America in a launch that is expected to end the rule of The Avengers.
Hot projects on Screenbase
Among the many new projects announced at Cannes were UK-Georgian project Epic, starring Ethan Hawke and an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s The Price of Salt.
Aqui Y Alla takes top prize at Cannes Critics Week
The directorial debut of Spanish film-maker Antonio Mendez Esparza won the Grand Prize at the 51st Cannes Critics Week.
Latest Cannes Critics jury scores: Reygadas has 2.1, Daniels averages 1.6
Screen’s Cannes critics jury continues, with the latest scores for all the Competition films.
Vicky McClure to star in Convenience
EXCLUSIVE: The British independent comedy is being produced by Ray Panthaki for his company Urban Way.
Arrow strikes UK deal for Bier's Love Is All You Need
TrustNordisk now sold out of Bier’s upcoming romantic comedy.
Bellocchio's Dormant Beauty stirs political controversy in Italy
A mini-squall has hit the Italian film industry over the controversial decision to cut the entire 2012 funding of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Film Commission.
Sundance Selects finds Ken Loach’s The Angels' Share
Rebecca O’Brien produced and Pascal Caucheteux and Vincent Maraval of the film’s international sales agent Wild Bunch served as executive producers.
ARC Entertainment takes world on Nitro Circus The Movie 3D
Nationwide release set for Aug 10 on the adventure title. Dennis Rice will oversee marketing and distribution and ARC president Rich Goldberg will oversee international distribution.
Hunger Games to open in 67 Imax sites in China
The film will open under the recent revenue-sharing deal announced by the WTO.
ICM finalises management buyout, renames agency ICM Partners
International Creative Management (ICM) has finalised the management buyout of the agency and formed a partnership designed to place control of the firm with the agents and executives. The agency has been renamed ICM Partners.
Cannes Deals Roundup: Freaky Deaky, Frost, Winter Nomads
The latest deals from Cannes include eOne taking North America on Freaky Deaky.
Pathe International racks up 100 deals on its Cannes slate
Top titles include Beauty and the Beast, An Enemy, What’s in a Name and Happiness Never Comes Alone.
Marco van Geffen's In Your Name wins Arte's Cannes Atelier prize
Picture is second installment of van Geffen’s Vinex Trilogy revolving around the theme of the happy family.
Kino Lorber moves into Hong Sang-soo's In Another Country
Isabelle Huppert stars in Cannes Competition title.
More than 40 countries headed for AFCI Locations Show
More than 200 exhibitors to attend the June expo in Los Angeles.
Deals round-up: SPWA buys into Predestination
Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA) has picked up US and most of international rights on the Ethan Hawke sci-fi thriller. Arclight Films handles international sales.
Phase 4 Films snaps up Streetdance 1 and 2
President and CEO Berry Meyerowitz has landed US rights to the Vertigo Films franchise, which features stars from UK TV hit Britain’s Got Talent.
Hungarian director Béla Tarr to close production company
The director announced that his company TT Filmmuhely would be ceasing activity at the end of this month because its situation had become “untenable”.
Film journalist Claudia Laffranchi dies, aged 49
Journalist and film expert Claudia Laffranchi, affectionately known as the “Face of the Piazza Grande” after serving as host and master of ceremonies of Locarno Film Festival’s nightly open-air screenings for seven years from 2005 to 2011, has unexpectedly died at the age of 49.
NonStop acquires Cosmopolis, The We And The I, Broken
The distributor has picked up the Cannes titles for release in Scandinavia.
StudioCanal reports record Cannes market
Paddington, Mood Indigo, I Give It A Year, Serena and King of Soho lead sales pack.
Creative England re-launches West Midlands production fund
The £450,000 fund will go towards feature film production from producers or co-producers based in the West Midlands.
London's Leicester Square re-opens after 18 month renovation
The square re-opens just in time to host the premiere of Ridley Scott’s Prometheus on May 31.
Cannes Market continues on Cinando
The festival may be approaching its final weekend but industry professionals can carry on screening its films on the market’s Cinando database long after the festival ends.
Cannes Deals Roundup: Room 237, 7th Floor, Speechless, Student, many more
Deals from The Film Sales Company, Phantom Film, Film Factory, M-Appeal, Media Luna, and more.
The Match Factory befriends Garbarski's Vijay, starring Bleibtrau, Arquette
EXCLUSIVE: The Match Factory has picked up rights to Sam Garbarski’s comedy My Friend Vijay, starring Moritz Bleibtreu and Patricia Arquette.
Metrodome takes five in Cannes
EXCLUSIVE: Metrodome adds to The Guillotines acquisition with five more pick-ups in Cannes.
Exclusive Media eyes Millennium Entertainment acquisition
EXCLUSIVE: Nigel Sinclair (pictured) and Guy East’s ambitious company is said to be in early talks with a view to entering the domestic distribution arena as it emerged that at least another three new domestic distributors plan to launch within the next 12 to 18 months.
Cannes market buoyed by new equity, new titles
There were two deluges in Cannes. The torrent of scripts from new sales companies heightened the sense of anticipation heading into the market, but by the rain-soaked midway point a clearer sense of reality had set in.
Fortissimo takes on Serbian debut Redemption Street
Fortisimmo Films has acquired Serbian director Miroslav Terzic’s debut feature Redemption Street.
Hong Kong’s Sundream eats up Dead Sushi
Japan’s Office Walker has sold Noboru Iguchi’s Dead Sushi to Hong Kong’s Sundream Motion Pictures.
Madagascar 3 uses HP technology
HP is also an official partner at the Cannes Film Festival, showing a multi-touch wall.
French indie hub Commune Image makes market debut
Production “commune”, which supported indie pictures Donoma and La Désintégration, launches partying road movie En Pays Cannibal at Cannes market.
Michael Wrenn joins Arclight Films
Wrenn’s areas of expertise include sales and acquisitions, production, development and distribution. He will be based in the Sydney office.
TLA Releasing takes worldwide rights on Terracino’s Elliot Loves
Elliot Loves charts the adventures of Dominican-American Elliot Ayende as a nine year-old who is best friend to his single mother and as a 21-year-old looking for love in New York City.
Screen South unveils new partnerships in Cannes
The former regional screen agency is still going strong as a separate entity outside Creative England.
Jelly T sweetens up Danish box office; The Taste Of Money debuts in South Korea
Screen casts a glance over the international box office.
Russian Cinema Fund, Kazakhstan producers guild launch LA initiative
The scheme will give Russian and Kazakhstan film-makers the chance to learn new skills through placements at LA companies as well as actors the chance to study in LA acting schools.
Reel Suspects sells thriller The Second Death
Reel Suspects has sold Argentinian director Santiago Fernandez’s debut The Second Death to Germany/Austria and Turkey.
Lionsgate and StudioCanal renew library deal
StudioCanal to distribute next instalment of The Hunger Games franchise, Catching Fire in German speaking territories.
Klockworx drives off with Media Asia’s Motorway
Hong Kong’s Media Asia has sold Soi Cheang’s upcoming action title Motorway to Klockworx for Japan.
Isn’t Anyone Alive? sells to the UK’s Third Window
The UK’s Third Window Films has snapped up Isn’t Anyone Alive?, directed by Gakuryu Ishii, which is being handled internationally by Japan’s Phantom Film Co.
Larry Clark preparing Paris-set skateboarding picture
EXCLUSIVE: Larry Clark is set to shoot a French-language picture taking inspiration from the skateboarding scene around Paris’ Trocadero Gardens this summer, the first film for the Kids and Ken Park director shot outside the United States.
Competition Commission reverses ruling over Sky Movies dominance
The Competition Commission has reversed its stance that Sky Movies holds an unfair advantage in the pay TV movie space, as a result of the emergence of online players Lovefilm and Netflix
Pinewood Shepperton announces 15 month results
The studio group reported revenues of £63m over the last 15 months.
Little Film Company scores sales rights to The Third Half
Robbie Little has taken international sales rights to Darko Mitrevski’s second world war sports drama about a Jewish coach who inspires a football team to win the National Football League in Nazi-occupied Macedonia in 1942.
SnagFilms picks up trio from Submarine for VoD, digital
Submarine has licensed a package of three films to SnagFilms for exclusive US VoD and digital distribution.
The Documentary Company on board for Green Prince
The Documentary Company, launched by Sheryl Crown and Maggie Monteith last year to back feature docs with EIS funding, is expanding its slate.
Phanta launches new Dutch finance scheme
In Cannes, Dutch producer Petra Goedings from Phanta Vision has revealed further details of a groundbreaking film financing scheme in the Netherlands.
Cannes deals roundup: DC Medias, Jinga, Hawthorn, Delacheroy
Deals include Jinga Films selling romantic comedy Timer and Hawthorn selling UK sci fi feature UFO.
eOne, RKO Pictures plan joint US release on A Late Quartet
The partners have earmarked an autumn release for Yaron Zilberman’s debut starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener and Christopher Walken.
Match Factory strikes groundbreaking distribution initiative
€400,000 initiative is backed by the EU’s Media Mundus.
CNC reveals details of new World Cinema Fund
The new €6m subsidy is run jointly by the CNC, cultural body the Institut Français, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
Media Luna picks up Student, Kid
Midway through the market, Media Luna has taken international rights to three new films.
IFC wins bidding war for Wheatley’s Sightseers
In a deal concluded late last night Cannes time IFC took US rights to Ben Wheatley’s dark comedy Sightseers from Protagonist Pictures.
Cannes titles Rust & Bone top opener at French box office
Jacques Audiard’s competition title Rust & Bone was the topo pening film at the French box office in it first five days on release starting May 16.
Protagonist books The Sweeney into eOne for US
EXCLUSIVE: eOne continues to ramp its US distribution slate with the acquisition of Protagonist’s The Sweeney, which the distributor had previously picked up for UK and Canada; deals flow for Nick Love’s crime-drama and Vertigo’s Viking epic Hammer of the Gods.
Wild Bunch Benelux goes on buying spree
Mid way through the market, company boss Pim Hermeling has confirmed a raft of market and festival acquisitions.
Film4 goes monster mad with Ben Wheatley
EXCLUSIVE: Film4 is in discussions with potential co-financiers here on Kill List and Sightseers director Ben Wheatley’s planned cops-and-monsters film Freakshift.
The Master, Devil's Knot ignite sales for Weinstein Company
EXCLUSIVE: The Weinstein Company has reported a huge response to it Cannes slate, selling out most of the world on the likes of Scary Movie 5, The Master and Devil’s Knot.
Camelot seals Scavengers deal with Splendid for German-speaking Europe
Camelot Distribution Group president Jess Kelly has announced a slew of sales on the Cannes slate, leading with a sale to Splendid for German-speaking territories and Benelux rights to California Pictures’ sci-fi adventure Scavengers.
Visit Films closes deals on Dinotasia, End Of Love
Ryan Kampe’s Visit Films has struck a slew of sales on key titles here, led by a deal with Ascot Elite for German-speaking Europe on dinosaur documentary Dinotasia.
Raven Banner acquires sales on Rosalind Leigh
Raven Banner has acquired sales rights to Rodrigo Gudiño’s feature debut The Last Will And Testament Of Rosalind Leigh.
French director Morelli explores demons
French director to bring Chinese classic Water Margin to big screen in 3D animation, entitled Le Prince et 108 demons.
DAR gets ugly with Kashyap, Phantom
India’s DAR Motion Pictures is partnering with Phantom Films to produce Ugly, the next project from Anurag Kashyap, whose Gangs Of Wasseypur is screening in Directors Fortnight.
Endorphine, Augustus wake up for Sunrise
EXCLUSIVE: Germany’s Endorphine Production and Dutch production company Augustus Film have boarded Indian filmmaker Partho Sen-Gupta’s Sunrise (Arunoday), alongside India’s Independent Movies and the National Film Development Corp (NFDC).
Jiang Wen to shoot Gone With The Bullets
Leading Chinese filmmaker Jiang Wen is likely to reunite with Gong Li in his latest directorial project, Gone With The Bullets, according to Marco Ma, who co-owns Beijing-based Buyilehu Films with the director.
Lee Daniels chooses Minka Kelly for Jackie Kennedy, talks The Butler
EXCLUSIVE: Lee Daniels talks to Screen about why he connected with The Butler and discloses that he wants Minka Kelly to play Jacqueline Kennedy.
Film I Vast welcomes projects including new Moodysson
As-yet-untitled feature from Lukas Moodysson [pictured] is one of five titles set to do post-production at Film I Vast’s base in Trollhättan.
Topkapi, Waterland selected for Hubert Bals Fund Plus
Both Dutch production outfits will now receive grants of 50,000 Euros.
Showbox sells Thieves, Nameless Gangster
Korea’s Showbox has scored further sales on heist action thriller The Thieves and recent hit Nameless Gangster: Rules Of The Time.
Pulse set to unveil bicoastal presence in US
Pulse Films has announced its expansion to the US market with bicoastal offices in New York and Los Angeles.
Bitter Ends picks up Karakara for Japan
Japanese distributor Bitters End has picked up all rights to Canada-Japan co-production Karakara, directed by Claude Gagnon.
Bilge Ceylan, Kaplanoglu attend memorial ceremony for Seyfi Teoman
The 35 year old director of Our Grand Despair who died in a traffic accident was considered one of the most exciting young film-makers in Turkey.
Scottish companies CinéFile and Distrify partner up
Edinburgh based boutique distributor CinéFile has teamed up with Scottish film promotion and distribution service Distrify, to allow its content to become more accessible on the internet.
Baltic Bridge East by West announces co-production slate
Producers include Amour Fou, Aurora Films, CTB Film Company; Bakur Bakuradze among directors.
Northern Film & Media confirms new funding, strikes collaboration with BALTIC
Northern Film & Media has struck up a partnership with the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, to develop film, TV and digital propositions, as well as securing new funding for its production services.
James McAvoy in for Joel Edgerton on Myriad's Eleanor Rigby
Shooting is set to commence this summer on The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby: Him and The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby: Her to star Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy, who has replaced Joel Edgerton on the cast. Myriad Pictures represents sales rights and is in talks with buyers here.
Submarine, Dakota Group partner on Torpedo Pictures
The label will fund and distribute low-budget genre titles in the $500,000-$1.5m range with a focus on auteur-driven directors.
Stealth's Marble City goes to Japan
Parco and Klockworx pick up Ryuhei Kitamura’s noir action thriller.
Jinga’s Timer clocks up buys
UK sales outfit Jinga Films is selling out on Jac Schaeffer’s romantic-comedy Timer.
Weinsteins promote Django, Master, Silver Linings
Harvey Weinstein showcased 20 minutes of footage to international press on Monday (21) of Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master and David O Russell’s The Silver Linings Playbook.
FIP Germany hires Marco Mehlitz to head development, production
Lago Film’s Marco Mehlitz has joined Fox International Productions Germany as head of development and production.
FILMCLUB to screen 60 great British films to schoolchildren
The initiative has been launched to coincide with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
Prison guard thriller Screwed goes to Inception for North America
Inception Media Group has acquired North American rights to the thriller Screwed, based on the book by former prison guard Ronnie Thompson.
Anchor Bay, Red Sea strike deals on Officer Down, Pawn
Anchor Bay has swooped on all English speaking territories for action a pair of action films, Officer Down and Pawn. Red Sea Media is handling international sales on both titles Cannes.
France’s new Culture Minister Filippetti hits Cannes
France’s new Culture and Communication Minister Aurélie Filippetti was in Cannes on Tuesday for her first big public address since being appointed last week by the country’s new socialist president François Hollande.
TrustNordisk’s Escape files to US with eOne, Australia with Rialto
TrustNordisk’s action-adventure Escape continues to sell well on promo and is now on its way to US and Australia.
Territories voice "key concerns" about EU's proposed Cinema Communication
The UK, Germany, France and Austria have voiced “key concerns” in a joint position paper on the European Commission’s (EC) draft Cinema Communication for state aid for films and other audiovisual works.
Ayres plans Marilyn Monroe doc
Writer-filmmaker has already spoken to and filmed many Monroe associates.
Norway boosts new Jo Nesbo adaptation
Two high profile new Norwegian features are being fast-tracked - Morten Tyldum’s historical drama Tordenskjold, and Arild Fröhlich’s family feature Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder. They will receive $20 million and $17 million state funding, respectively.
UK's 011 Productions to co-produce Bettinga's feature debut
UK producer Zorana Piggott’s 011 Productions is to co-produce the feature debut of German filmmaker Eicke Bettinga who is competing in Cannes’ Short Films Competition this year with Gasp which has its world premiere on May 26.
Zurich to add German-language market initiative
Eighth edition of Zurich Film Festival runs Sept 27-29.
Loznitsa plans project about Nazi massacre
Project is one of five story ideas that the director is currently developing.
Warp Australia goes Shopping
Warp Films Australia, here last year with Snowtown, is currently shooting Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland’s New Zealand feature Shopping. Set in 1981, the story is about a teenage boy seduced by a career criminal.
Scandis get Sensational with Mubi
The new subscriber offering from Mubi, which has launched in Turkey two months ago, will next launch in Norway on July 17, with Sweden and Denmark following in the weeks after, with Finland and Iceland in the autumn.
City Screen adds Bath venue
The Little Theatre Cinema and City Screen are teaming for a screen within live entertainment Komedia venue on Westgate Street.
SPC picks up North American rights to Directors’ Fortnight entry No
Pablo Larraín’s story is based on true events and stars Gael García Bernal as an advertising executive who in 1988 is hired to spearhead the Chilean opposition leader’s campaign after military dictator Augusto Pinochet calls a referendum.
Sofia Coppola's Bling Ring is just the thing for FilmNation
FilmNation has reported a roaring trade here on Sofia Coppola’s Bling Ring, licensing rights to Village Roadshow in Australia, Alliance in Canada and Lucky Red in Italy, among others.
Film Collaborative launches LGBT initiative for distribution
EXCLUSIVE: The Film Collaborative has launched a new distribution initiative for LGBT films, FestSelects.
Scottish features Accelerated
Creative Scotland’s inaugural Accelerator feature development programme has selected seven Scottish features
Peter Berg whirlwind tour fires up Cannes sales on Foresight 's Survivor
Following a whistle-stop Cannes trip by Battleship director Peter Berg to talk up Lone Survivor, Foresight Unlimited head Mark Damon and president/COO Tamara Birkemoe said they had sold out 80-90% of the world on the Navy SEALs story.
Kaas investigates TrustNordisk's Causes
TrustNordisk is handling sales on The Keeper of Lost Causes; Mikkel Norgaard directs from a screenplay by Nikolaj Arcel.
Vinterberg moves into The Commune; Hunt sales heat up for TrustNordisk
Thomas Vinterberg is poised to make a feature film version of his play, The Commune, which he staged successfully at the Burgtheater Vienna.
Artificial Eye, Alta, Bim head for Mungiu’s Hills
EXCLUSIVE: Wild Bunch’s other hot sellers in Cannes include Holy Motors, Suspiria remake, Dark Touch.
The Match Factory picks up Groeningen's Broken Circle
EXCLUSIVE: The Match Factory has picked up Felix van Groeningen’s drama The Broken Circle Breakdown; van Groeningen’s previous film The Misfortunates premiered in Directors’ Fortnight.
Wide House docs in demand
EXCLUSIVE: Wide’s doc arm Wide House has closed deals on documentary biopic Bergman and Magnani, Sam Peckinpah: A Portrait and Milos Forman, What Doesn’t Kill You…
VOD platform Sanona launches, locks Yash Raj deal
VOD service Sanona, a specialist in South Asian cinema, is launching its service in Cannes and has already locked a deal with Indian studio Yash Raj Films.
Ad Vitam charmed by Fortissimo’s Miss Lovely
Ad Vitam has snapped up French rights to Un Certain Regard title Miss Lovely, directed by India’s Ashim Ahluwalia, from Fortissimo Films.
Sahamongkol’s erotic Jan Dara sparks buying frenzy
Thailand’s Sahamongkolfilm International has sparked bidding wars across Asia with its erotic drama Jan Dara, which has already sold to five territories during Cannes.
MVP's Naked Soldier storms into France
Hong Kong’s Mega-Vision Project (MVP) has sold Marco Mak’s action title Naked Soldier to a slew of territories including France, where it was jointly acquired by AB Groupe and AAA.
Fortissimo picks up Van Warmerdam’s Camiel Borgman
EXCLUSIVE: Fortissimo Films has picked up international rights outside Benelux to Dutch filmmaker Alex van Warmerdam’s Camiel Borgman.
UTA signs Intouchables star Omar Sy
UTA has signed French actor and Intouchables star Omar Sy for representation in all areas.
Kino Lorber takes US rights to Meet The Fokkens
Gabrielle Provaas and Rob Schröder’s documentary Meet The Fokkens received its world premiere at IDFA in Amsterdam and will kick off its US festival run at SilverDocs in mid-June.
One Eyed Films sells Villa Captive to Benelux
Emmanuel Silvestre’s thriller Villa Captive has sold to Benelux distributor Zeno Pictures
AngelWorld boards The Devil in the Deep Blue Sea
Film financier AngelWorld, which yesterday announced backing for new title The Big Shoe, will back drama starring Jessica Biel.
eOne's Inch'Allah finds buyers
eOne has sold drama Inch’Allah to five territories; film is third instalment in micro_scope Middle East trilogy.
Paolo Sorrentino to direct The Great Beauty
Pathe International will handle worldwide sales on the Italian-French co-production which is Sorrentino’s first film set and entirely filmed in Rome.
FilmNation boards Lava Bear, Porchlight's The Rover
FilmNation has acquired the majority of worldwide sales rights to David Michôd’s follow-up to Animal Kingdom, and will jointly represent US sales with UTA.
British Council launches Short Support Scheme
It includes a Travel Grant Fund that will support short film-makers from the UK in showing their work at international film festivals.
Roskino announces projects with Brody, Uchitel, Dvortsevoy
Roskino yesterday announced seven new co-productions in development and pre-production, including projects with Adrien Brody, Alexei Uchitel and Tulpan director Sergei Dvortsevoy.
Creative England launches Elevator programme
The programme, which was launched today in Cannes, is aimed at helping short film-makers to make the leap into features.
Watershed launches FilmWorks networking scheme
The pilot project aimed at fast tracking emerging filmmaking talent from the UK regions, is being developed with money from Creative England’s network fund.
Avail-TVN acquires On Demand Group
Acquisition is part of $100m new investment funding, led by The Carlyle Group.
Arnon Milchan to receive Locarno's producer award
Three of his films will be shown at the 65th edition, including the newly restored Once Upon A Time In America.
The Dictator seizes control of the UK box office
Paramount’s comedy prevents The Avengers from going four straight weeks at the top; Momentum’s The Raid opens in fifth.
Latido thinks up Thesis with Darin
Thriller is based on the novel by Germán Paszkowski and also stars Alberto Ammán [pictured].
CinemaChile touts R. Lorena, Hijo De Tranco
Chilean delegation also set to hold tribute to Raul Ruiz today in Cannes.
South Africa and Ireland to seal co-pro treaty
Treaty is the eighth co-production treaty that South Africa has signed.
Douglas Gordon announced as first of three special guest curators at CPH:DOX 2012
International documentary festival has also announced its line-up for third DOX:LAB.
Cannes European Rendezvous talks Creative Europe
New EU initiatives for European cinema such as the Prix MEDIA and the proposed Creative Europe programme are at the focus of the 10th edition of the European Rendezvous in Cannes from May 20-22.
Kingsley, Payne, Skarsgard line up for Beta's Physician
International stars including Ben Kingsley, Tom Payne and Stellan Skarsgård have joined the cast of Beta Cinema’s film adaptation of Noah Gordon’s bestseller The Physician.
Reel's Mixed Kebab goes to TLA for US and UK
EXCLUSIVE: Reel Suspects has closed multiple deals on LGBT drama Mixed Kebab.
Wide’s Eye on Films adds films, cuts deals
EXCLUSIVE: Wide’s Eye on Films label has seen good business on its growing slate since Berlin.
Artificial Eye snaps up Sally Potter drama
EXCLUSIVE: Artificial Eye has snapped up UK rights to Sally Potter’s new untitled drama from The Match Factory.
Resnais' co-producer Alamode Film boards two German projects
Munich-based distributor Alamode Film is already lining up its next projects after making its first foray into production by serving as the German co-producer on 89-year-old French director Alain Resnais’ latest feature You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet (Vous N’Avez Encore Rien Vu).
Stein and Marlind, K5 board horror ensemble Paris, I’ll Kill You
EXCLUSIVE: Underworld: Awakening directors Bjorn Stein and Mans Marlind complete the lineup of ten directors on horror-themed ensemble; K5 boards sales.
eOne takes Rezo’s The Horde
EXCLUSIVE: Entertainment One has picked up multi-territory, including North America and the U.K, on the Russian epic The Horde.
LUFF to host premieres from Whitecross, Temple
EXCLUSIVE: The London UK Film Focus (25 to 28 June), the annual screening event that brings the world’s top buyers to London, has announced a raft of high profile premieres for this year’s event.
French Connection links with Korean Dream Capture
French Connection is partnering with Korean Dream Capture Studios to develop an English-language adaptation of Peter May’s thriller The Killing Room, the third tome in his so-called China thrillers.
Content takes on Complicit
Content has taken world rights to MI5/terrorism drama Complicit directed by Niall MacCormick (Albatross).
Iron Sky director revives Hitler in 3D
EXCLUSIVE: Adolf Hitler is to be recreated in digital 3D in I Killed Adolf Hitler, the new live action sci-fi feature from the team behind hit Iron Sky.
China’s Wanda Group buys AMC Entertainment
China’s Wanda Group has signed an agreement with AMC Entertainment Holdings to buy out 100% of the US entertainment group for $2.6bn.
Digital Domain to open studio in Abu Dhabi
US-based Digital Domain Media Group (DDMG) is collaborating with twofour54 to establish a media school and purpose-built studio in Abu Dhabi, with the aim of driving development of the production industry in the Middle East.
Korea’s Daisy & Cinergy cues up Cannes duo
Korea’s Daisy & Cinergy is producing and selling two upcoming projects from Im Sang-soo, whose The Taste Of Money is screening in competition, and Hur Jin-ho, whose Dangerous Liaisons has been selected for Directors’ Fortnight.
Shochiku plans global Kinoshita retrospective
Japanese studio Shochiku is planning a ten-city retrospective to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Keisuke Kinoshita, whose digitally restored The Ballad Of Narayama is screening in Cannes Classics.
Robert Jones to produce A Patch Of Fog
The film is the winning project to come out of Northern Ireland Screen’s New Talent Focus scheme for local writers.
Power to the Pixel announces new prizes
ARTE’s £6,000 Pixel Pitch Prize joined by new beActive Comedy Prize, Cinekid Prize & Mozilla Prize for non-fiction.
K5 chugs with more Night Train sales
K5 International has sold Bille August’s Night Train To Lisbon to Eastern Europe (EEAP ), Latin America (Swen), and Italy (Archibald).
Cannes deals roundup for Atrix, Hungarian National Fund, Cinema Republic
Hot titles include The Children From Mount Napf and 18 Meals.
Maximum Conviction lands key deals for Voltage
Voltage Pictures has announced pre-Cannes sales on the Steven Seagal action-thriller Maximum Conviction that also stars Steve Austin.
Strategic Film Partners adds The FP, Crooked to Cannes slate
Alex Barder’s Strategic Film Partners is in the thick of talks with buyers on a slate that includes The Trost Brothers’ dance battle film The FP, which Drafthouse Films released recently in the US.
Finnish showcase planned for September
The Helsinki International Film Festival will launch the Finnish Film Affair, the first industry showcase for new domestic films.
Garance Capital to launch second fund
French film investment group Garance Capital is planning to launch a new €5-€10m institution-backed fund to compliment its existing fund aimed at individual investors.
Alamode Film boards two German projects
Munich-based distributor Alamode Film is already lining up its next projects after making its first foray into production by serving as the German co-producer on Alain Resnais’ competition title You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet (Vous N’Avez Encore Rien Vu).
Italian regions boost support of foreign production
The Apulia Film Commission Foundation in Italy is has launched a new international Fund in support of foreign film productions.
Nicole Kidman said to be reuniting with Lee Daniels on Butler
EXCLUSIVE: The Oscar-winning actres is reportedly poised to join the cast of IM Global hot seller The Butler, reuniting with director Lee Daniels whose The Paperboy receives its world premiere here on Thursday.
Avengers brings in further $55.1m at US box office
Another mighty haul saw Marvel Studios’ action epic soar to $457.1m and hold on to its number one rank for the third consecutive weekend.
The Avengers surges past $700m international
A further $56m from 54 territories saw Marvel Studios’ superhero spectacular hold on to its international crown with ease as the running total climbed to $723.3m.
Universal slayed by Fortissimo’s Killing
Universal Pictures International Entertainment (UPIE) has picked up a slew of territories, including the UK and France, to Chinese-Mongolian epic An End To Killing from Fortissimo Films.
Eurimages to hold meeting at Dubai film festival
European funding body Eurimages will hold a board meeting in Dubai during this year’s edition of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), which runs December 9-16.
Scherfig, August team for Serious Game
EXCLUSIVE: Writer-director Lone Scherfig and Swedish actress-director Pernilla August are to collaborate on €5 million costume epic/love story
Buyers court StudioCanal’s I Give It A Year
EXCLUSIVE: Buyers are feeling the love for Working Title and comedy writer Dan Mazer’s romantic comedy I Give A Year, which is being sold internationally by StudioCanal.
Metrodome keen for Once Upon a Time in Essex
EXCLUSIVE: Metrodome has picked up UK rights to crime-thriller Once Upon a Time in Essex, based on the iconic ‘Range Rover’ killings.
Mexico unveils revamped Cineteca
Here in Cannes, the Mexican Film Institute unveiled the restoration and redevelopment plans for the Cineteca Nacional, the world’s biggest cinematheque.
BFI London Film Festival revamps programme sections
New competition sections to be added, and ‘clusters’ will be grouped by themes.
Network picks up Larrain’s No for UK
Network Releasing has inked a deal for all UK rights to Pablo Larrain’s No.
Katayoun Shahabi docs in Cannes
Iranian producer Katayoun Shahabi is working on a feature-length documentary revolving around two former veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, one hailing from Iran and the other from the United States.
Buyers go Into The Dark for Epic Pictures
Patrick Ewald and Shaked Berenson’s Epic Pictures Group has licensed the Mischa Barton supernatural thriller Into The Dark to Tiberius for Germany, Eagle for the Middle East and Eurofilms for Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia.
Chicorel launches Chinese banner under Shoreline
Taipei-based producer and sales agent Steve Chicorel is launching a banner under Shoreline Entertainment, Asia Bridge, to handle international sales of Chinese films.
Buyers wake up for Five Star’s 3AM
Thailand’s Five Star Production is lining up a second 3D horror, 3AM, following the Asian box office success of its first such production, Dark Flight 3D.
DFI unveils first funding round of 2012
The Doha Film Institute (DFI) has unveiled the 23 features, documentaries and short films that will receive funding as part of its 2012 grants programme.
Bavaria teams with Russia and Italy for sci-fi film Amphibian Man
English-language project to be penned by writer-director Sergei Bodrov [pictured].
Yellow Affair starts pre-sales on Kristina
Film’s star Malin Buska [pictured] presented to international press in Cannes.
French shooting hours steady
Most popular shooting location remained central Ile de la France region.
AngelWorld, HanWay wear Big Shoe with Sturgess, Sarandon
Steven Shainberg to direct comedy-drama backed by new fund AngelWorld Entertainment. HanWay to handle sales.
Samuel Goldwyn Films takes US rights to Renoir
The distributor has swooped on Gilles Bourdos’ drama ahead of its world premiere as the closing night film of Un Certain Regard on May 25.
BBC Films announces new projects with Simon Curtis, David Heyman
Saoirse Ronan to star in adaptation of Vera Brittain’s Testament of Youth, Simon Curtis to direct drama based on struggle for Klimt paintings
Wenders to stay with 3D for next feature project starring Sarah Polley
Director Wim Wenders is to stay with the 3D format for his next feature film project Every Thing Will Be Fine.
Cargo escorts Hendricks film Zipper into Cannes
EXCLUSIVE: Cargo Entertainment sales chief Mark Lindsay has been talking up the thriller Zipper starring Patrick Wilson and Christina Hendricks, which Darren Aronofsky’s Protozoa Pictures is on board to produce.
Weide plans Vonnegut doc
EXCLUSIVE: Robert B. Weide, whose Woody Allen: A Documentary is in official selection) is looking to revive his long-gestating feature doc on sci-fi author Kurt Vonnegut.
Iris and Rezo prep Rainer bio-pic
Luxembourgish Iris Group has unveiled a ten-picture slate of films due to be distributed in France and sold worldwide by its Paris-based partner Rezo.
Iron Sky getting prequel and sequel
On the eve of Cannes, Blind Spot Pictures’ Tero Kaukomaa, the producer of cult Third Reich in space movie Iron Sky, has confirmed that he is plotting not one but two sequels.
Gens planning Monet art heist caper
EXCLUSIVE: French genre director Xavier Gens is set to direct a comedy crime caper inspired by the real-life robbery of Claude Monet’s Impression, Soleil Levant.
