All articles by Geoffrey Macnab – Page 152

  • News

    Eurimages plans contribution systemrestructure

    2009-02-12T06:00:00Z

    A clearer picture is beginning to appear of how Eurimages (the Council of Europe fund for the co-production, distribution and exhibition of European cinematographic works) might change its contribution system. Last month, it emerged that Holland and Italy were considering withdrawal from Eurimages on the grounds that they put more ...

  • News

    Era New Horizons to offer cash prizes

    2009-02-12T06:00:00Z

    Polish film festival Era New Horizons 2009 is to introduce financial rewards for its winners with four of the five competitive sections of the ENH 2009 to offer $90,300 (Eu70,000) in cash prizes and distribution guarantees. New Horizons International Competition, the competitive section of the festival screening 14 features that ...

  • News

    Wild Bunch swims in Oceans of Berlin deals

    2009-02-12T06:00:00Z

    Wild Bunch was striking an upbeat note as the company announced its EFMdeals yesterday. Despite the credit crunch, it emerged that the French powerhouses has closed multiple territories on its packed Berlin slate. 'I think the worst is still to come. We were all afraid that Berlin would be a ...

  • News

    Intra's Tobruk lands in UK with Hi-Fliers

    2009-02-11T06:00:00Z

    Italian sales outfit Intra Movies has closed a UK deal in Berlin with Hi-Fliers on Czech World War Two film, Tobruk. Directed by Vaclav Marhoul, thestoryis about a20-year-old volunteer in the Czech army in North Africa in the autumn of 1941. Showing its increasing appetite for eastern European fare, Intra ...

  • News

    Doc Alliance launches online distribution portal

    2009-02-11T06:00:00Z

    Doc Alliance, the partnership between five leading documentary festivals (CPH: Dox Copenhagen, DOK Leipzig, IDFF Jihlava, Planete Doc Review and Visions Du Reel) has launched its own online portal. The new website, which goes live on March 1, will make available 250 films to stream or download. This will include ...

  • News

    Gosetti returns to Venice

    2009-02-10T06:00:00Z

    Giorgio Gosetti is on the way back to Venice. The much-travelled festival programmer and curator is to return to the Lido as Delegate General of Venice Days, the event he founded in 2004 as the Venice Festival's answer to the Cannes Director's Fortnight. The appointment comes as Fabio Ferzetti steps ...

  • News

    Paolo Branco plots Cosmopolis

    2009-02-10T06:00:00Z

    In his most ambitious project to date, international producer Paolo Branco is plotting a $10m-12m film based on the novel Cosmopolis by legendary US writer Don DeLillo. Branco's Alfama Films is producing the film about a day in the life of a young billionaire financier who, over the course of ...

  • News

    Independents must consolidate, says Ben Waisbren

    2009-02-10T06:00:00Z

    In a hard-hitting keynote speech at yesterday's Screen International European Film Summit, film financier Ben Waisbren, who is president and CEO of Continental Entertainment Capital, predicted that the independent film business will go through a prolonged period of contraction and restructuring. 'Don't hesitate - consolidate,' he urged.Fewer films will be ...

  • News

    Wellcam welcomes Taras Bulba to Korea

    2009-02-09T06:28:43Z

    Early in the EFM, Russian outfit Central Partnership has closed a Korean deal for its historical epic Taras Bulba with Wellcam. The deal was closed on Friday in Berlin. The historical drama, directed by Vladimir Bortko, is currently in post-production and will be unveiled to buyers in the Cannes market. ...

  • News

    Noble picks up two from Vantage

    2009-02-09T06:28:38Z

    Scandinavian buyer Noble Entertainment has picked up Scandinavian rights to Gela Babluani's 13 and Joel Hopkins' Last Chance Harvey from Paramount Vantage International. Noble founder and CEO Per Samuelsson confirmed the deals yesterday. 13, Babluani's English language remake of his own 13 Tzameti stars Sam Riley, Mickey Rourke and Jason ...

  • News

    Centurion strides out for Pathe

    2009-02-09T06:28:00Z

    Pathe International has pre-sold Neil Marshall's Romans in Britain yarn Centurion to Constantin in Germany, Aurum in Spain, Hopscotch in Australia, Scanbox in Scandinavia and Odeon in Greece. The film will start principal photography on 22nd February in Scotland. LOL (Laughing Out Loud), directed by Liza Azuelos, has sold to ...

  • News

    Wintour doc a hot issue for Elle Driver

    2009-02-09T06:00:00Z

    The September Issue is flying off the shelves asParis-based sales outfit Elle Driver racks up sales on RJ Cutler's fashion documentary including a UK deal with Momentum Pictures, a French sale to Diaphana and a Japanese sale to Klockworx. NonStop has bought rights in Scandinavia and Madman in Australia. As ...

  • News

    Festival titles find sales berths midway through Berlinale

    2009-02-09T06:00:00Z

    French outfit Les Films Du Losange has closed a deal to take worldwide sales on Sweet Rush (Tatarak), the latest feature from venerable Polish auteur Andrzej Wajda which screens in competition on Friday. Les Films Du Losange will also be releasing the film in France through its distribution arm. Meanwhile, ...

  • News

    Other Angle collars Bambou

    2009-02-09T06:00:00Z

    New Paris-based sales outfit Other Angles Pictures has added a new title to its inaugural EFM slate, the company is to handle world rights on Didier Bourdon's new feature Bambou.Bambou stars Didier Bourdon, Anne Consigny, Pierre Arditi and Eddy Mitchell. The film is about a bank worker and his piano ...

  • News

    Negativ gets animated with Alois Nebel

    2009-02-09T06:00:00Z

    Czech production outfit Negativ is venturing into feature length animation with a film version of cult graphic novel Alois Nebel, by Jaroslaw Rudis and Jaromir 99. Tomas Lunak has signed on to direct. The project, which was presented at last month's Rotterdam CineMart, has now been picked up by The ...

  • News

    3D fails to fly, says Stassen

    2009-02-09T06:00:00Z

    nWave Pictures' Ben Stassen, who produced 3D feature Fly Me To The Moon, is warning that the 3D revolution has failed to materialize. While 3D films are being made and released in abundance, Stassen argues that the industry is now in 'a much longer transition phase than anybody had hoped ...

  • News

    Filmmuseum ramps up acquisition business

    2009-02-08T06:31:09Z

    Amsterdam's Filmmuseum has taken Dutch rights to a slew of films led by Kelly Reichardt's Wendy and Lucy sold by Memento, Edwin's Blind Pig Who Wants To Fly which premiered in Rotterdam last month, and Swiss master's Peter Liechti's The Sounds Of Insects - Record Of A Mummy. They follow ...

  • News

    Arrow Cuts Loose with Verheyen

    2009-02-08T06:31:00Z

    Canadian outfit Arrow Entertainment has taken world rights excluding Benelux to Cut Loose, from the prolific Flemish director Jan Verheyen. Cut Loose was produced by the team behind Flemish hits The Alzheimer Case and Ben X. Based on the best-selling novel by Tom Naegels, the film is about a crusading ...

  • News

    Dragon Tattoo set for European rollout, English version

    2009-02-08T06:30:52Z

    In Berlin this weekend, Yellow Bird's Soren Staermose has revealed further details of the hugely ambitious roll-out plans for the film of Stieg Larsson's world bestseller The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, sold here by Zodiak International. The film will be released theatrically in late February in Sweden and Denmark, ...

  • News

    Noble snaps up Nine, Expendables

    2009-02-08T06:30:00Z

    Aggressive Scandinavian distributor Noble Entertainment has taken Scandinavian rights for Rob Marshall's Nine from The Weinstein Company.The film, currently shooting in London and Rome, opens in the US in December, and the Swedish release will follow in January or February 2010. The cast includes Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz ...