All articles by Geoffrey Macnab – Page 158
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News
Interview: Barbet Schroeder
Now in his mid-60s, film-maker and self-proclaimed iconoclast Barbet Schroeder is busier than ever. His new feature, Inju, The Beast In The Shadow, will be in competition at Venice and will screen in Toronto, just a year after his documentary Terror's Advocate, about controversial lawyer Jacques Verges, screened in Cannes. ...
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The Works takes on Belgian titles Unspoken and Loft
Ahead of this year's Toronto film festival, London-based The Works International has picked up the world sales rights to a brace of Belgian films: Unspoken, written and directed by Fien Troch, and Erik Van Looy's Loft.Unspoken will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. It is scheduled ...
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Focus Features takes on world sales for Lance Daly's Kisses
Focus Features International has come on board to handle world sales on Lance Daly's festival crowdpleaser Kisses. The film, which won the Best Irish Film Award at the Galway Film Fleadh, screened earlier this month in competition in Locarno and will also show in Toronto.'The film had freshness and honesty. ...
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Locarno's Buzz Films
North Face (Nordwand) (Ger)Piazza GrandeDir: Philipp StolzlThe story: An all-star German cast of Benno Furmann, Florian Lukas and Ulrich Tukur play climbers attempting to scale the Eiger in the 1930s. The plot touches on love, political conflict during the Nazi era and the mountaineers' obsession.The buzz: Such an epic narrative ...
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Alex Cox on Repo Chick
Alex Cox clearly relishes his reputation as UK cinema's 'oldest enfant terrible'. The now Oregon-based film-maker is plotting a sequel to his 1980s cult hit Repo Man. He has already completed the screenplay for Repo Chick, which comes billed as 'a 21st century look at the issues of Repo Man'. ...
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Grande ambitions: Locarno preview
On the eve of this year's 61st Locarno International Film Festival (August 6-16), the organisers are in bullish mood. Festival director Frederic Maire is clearly delighted to secure Julian Jarrold's Evelyn Waugh adaptation Brideshead Revisited as the festival's opening film.'It's a very strong film, which looks really classical but is ...
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Features
Italy/United Kingdom - It takes three to fandango
New Italy-UK sales outfit Fandango Portobello Sales made a splash in Cannes this year with Matteo Garrone's Naples-set Mafia drama Gomorrah. The title won the Grand Prix, was one of the most coveted films in the Marche, and one of the few Italian films in recent years to sell worldwide.Overseeing ...
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Intramovies takes on Bondi's Locarno premiere Black Sea
A day after the official announcement of this year's Locarno Festival programme, Italian sales outfit Intramovies has swooped on competition title Black Sea (Mar Nero) from new director Federico Bondi.A world premiere in Locarno,Black Seawas produced by Film Kairos.'It's an arthouse film, a quality picture with a social theme,' Intramovies' ...
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In focus - No middle ground for UK indies'
When Tartan Films Distribution went into administration in late June, the rest of the UK independent distribution sector shuddered. International sales agents also winced, especially those handling Asian fare.Tartan's ground-breaking Asia Extreme label brought Japanese, South Korean and Hong Kong movies by directors such as Takashi Miike, Hideo Nakata and ...
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Profile: ambitious Eon look beyond Bond
British screenwriters need to become more ambitious. That is the message behind the Eon Screenwriters' Workshop (ESW), an initiative set up last year by the James Bond franchise's famed production company Eon Productions.'As a (film-making) culture in the UK, we are predominantly low-budget and we are very heavily television focused,' ...
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Halcyon takes on UK for Critics Week title Moscow, Belgium
As it ramps up its UK distribution activities, Chris Coen's Halcyon Pictures has added another title to its fast growing release slate. The new acquisition is Christophe Van Rompaey's Moscow, Belgium (sold by Bavaria Film International).The film premiered in the Critics' Week in Cannes.'I loved it. I thought it was ...
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Tilda Swinton launches unusual film festival in Scotland
Actress Tilda Swinton has unveiled plans for the newest, most unusual film festival in the UK. The Ballerina Ballroom Cinema Of Dreams, as the event is currently called, will take place over 8 1/2 days in a Ballroom in Nairn, in the north-east of Scotland, next month (Aug 15-23).The festival ...
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Alex Cox plans Repo Man sequel Repo Chick
Maverick British writer-director Alex Cox (Sid & Nancy, Walker) is plotting a follow-up to his 1984 cult hit, Repo Man.Cox has already completed the screenplay for the project, Repo Chick, and is looking for studio backing. The original Repo Man was distributed domestically by Universal.The new film comes billed as ...
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Buyers chasing Tartan Film' back catalogue
Buyers are clamouring to acquire the back catalogue of Tartan Films, theindependent UK distributor that went into administration last week.David Oprey, a partner in Chantrey Vellacott DFK (which is handling theadministration) confirmed to ScreenDaily, that a number of firm bidshave already been received for the entire catalogue and a deal ...
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Features
United Kingdom - if it ain't broke..
Nothing." That's what Film London's head of international Helena MacKenzie says has changed in plans for this year's London UK Film Focus (Luff). The sales event runs June 30-July 3.Some might see the decision to keep the event in the same form as last year as a sign of complacency. ...
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Features
Bandit country
The death in May of Paul Reyes, one of the leaders of the Colombian terrorist group, Farc (the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), lends a timely appeal to Victor Gaviria's new project about the origins of the movement.The Colombian director, probably the best known film-maker to emerge from the territory, ...
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Edinburgh: This summer's new destination
At the grand old age of 62, the Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff), the world's longest continually running film festival, is having a makeover. Edinburgh has shifted its dates from its traditional August slot to June (18-29). The event has also received an injection of $3.7m (£1.88m) in public funding ...
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Mammoth challenge: Lars Jonsson on producing Lukas Moodysson
When 20 minutes or so of footage from Lukas Moodysson's English-language debut Mammoth was screened in Cannes recently, there was a mini stampede among buyers. Sales agent TrustNordisk reported huge interest in the project, which stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Michelle Williams.International distributors, it was clear, still have faith in ...
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EON Screenwriters Workshop signs up four new films
The EON Screenwriters' Workshop (ESW), the initiative set up last year by James Bond production company EON Productions, has announced details of four new projects with new feature film writers.Christopher Hill's teen comedy Rules of the Game is about three teenage videogame designers who get the chance to go to ...
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Sydney Pollack dies of cancer at age 73
Film-maker Sydney Pollack died of cancer in Los Angeles on Monday, aged 73.He had been diagnosed with cancer about 10 months ago.The Oscar winner was a director, producer and actor; his best-known films include Out Of Africa, The Way We Were, Three Days Of The Condor, Tootsie and They Shoot ...