Germany's Egoli Tossell Films (ETF) is moving forward fast with new films from Agnieszka Holland and Sandra Nettelback in addition to
Michael Hoffman's $20m Tolstoy drama The Last Station to star Anthony
Hopkins and Meryl Streep.

Holland is directing Peter & Catherine which ETF will co-produce with
Chris Curling's Zephyr Film.

Chloe Sevigny is attached to play the
Polish battlefield whore who falls in love with Peter The Great and
becomes Tsarina Catherine I.

Financing has already been raised in Germany from the regional funds MDM and Medienboard Berlin-
Brandenburg and a state guarantee from the Land of Brandenburg, while
UK co-producer Zephyr has brought in backing from Ingenious.

ETF is also working on the development of Mostly Martha director
Sandra Nettelbeck's English-language drama Helen which will be shot
in the US as a co-production with Echo Lake Productions.

ETF is also working with bestselling author Francois Lelord on the
$13.4m adaptation of his novel Hector's Journey Or The Search Of
Happiness and has acquired the rights to Lelord's second Hector
novel, Hector And The Secrets Of Love in an attempt to develop a film
franchise for the international market.

In addition, ETF partner Jens Meurer told Screen that a director will
be announced soon for the Euros 8m German language biopic Hildegard
Knef - The Gift Horse which has been scripted by Sophie Scholl - The
Final Days writer Fred Breinersdorfer. Heike Makatsch is to play
actress-singer-writer Knef and the production is now expected to
start shooting at the end of this year.