All articles by Melanie Rodier – Page 3
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Giordana plans Franco-Japanese co-production
Best of Youthdirector Marco Tullio Giordana's next picture will be a $7m-$10mFrench-language adaptation of cult author Amelie Northomb's period novel, Mercure.''The story centres on a girl disfigured by abomb who mustn't see the reflection' of her own faceFabrizio 'Mosca of Rome-based Titti Film willproduce, having previously worked with the director ...
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Manchevski's love story Bones lands at Bavaria
Bavaria Film International has taken worldwide rights toMilcho Manchevski's new picture, Bones. It is the Macedoniandirector's third feature after Dust, which opened theVenice Film Festival in 2001, and Before The Rain, which earnedan Oscar nomination and the Venice Golden Lion in 1994.Bones, which marks New York-based Manchevski's return to Macedonia,is ...
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Buskin basks in equity
Rome-based sales and co-production outfit Buskin Filmhas sealed a '$20m financial partnership with Italian private funds groupMg Lab.''The deal will enable Buskin to board internationalco-productions by'investing between 10-25% of a film's budget. In future, Buskin hopes' to be able to invest upto 35% of a movie's budget.'' Buskin CEO Antonio ...
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Verdone signs on for Manual of Love sequel
Popular Italian comedianCarlo Verdone has signed on to star in the sequel to the Manual ofLove, the hit Aurelio DeLaurentiis-produced titled that earned almost $17m (Euros 15m) at thelocal box officelast year and sold to 15 countries worldwide.Entitled Manual of Love:The Stories, the film will bedirected by Giovanni Veronesi and ...
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Iran's Farabi tries to foster international co-productions
Iranian film organizationFarabi is championing international co-productions between Iran, Iraqand Afghanistan in order to promote filmmaking in the region.Currently in post is TurtlesCan Fly director Bahman Ghobadi'snew film, Half Moon (Niwe Mung), which has been set up as Iran-Iraq-Austria co-production.The picture is about afamous 80-year-old Kurd musician, who has a ...
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Media Luna sells Ganz picture to China
Cologne-based Media Luna has sold Bruno Ganz picture Vitus to Chinese' distributor Hansion Media.''The film, directed by Fredi Murer, is about a boygenius whose parents' would like him to become a pianist, until the boyeventually takes 'control of his own life.''Vitus hasalso been sold Mexico's Quality Films, Brazil's Ciruito' Cinearte,France's ...
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Happinet takes Japanese rights to Tornatore's latest
Happinet Pictureshas acquired all Japanese rights to Giuseppe Tornatore's highly-anticipatedfilm, La Sconosciuta.The picture,which is sold by Rome-based Adriana Chiesa Enterprises (ACE), has also beenpicked up by Brazil's Paris Films.Set in the northernItalian town of Trieste, La Sconosciuta is Oscar-winningdirector Giuseppe Tornatore's first film in six years.The picture,which features Michele Placido ...
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Kinowelt finds buyer interest for The Unknown Soldier
Buyers are circling KinoweltInternational's documentary, The Unknown Soldier.Head of World sales SteliosZiannis is in talks with distributors in 'the US, the UK, France, Italyand Benelux on the film, which focuses 'on the crimes of the Germany armyduring World War II.On the eve of Cannes, theLeipzig-based international distributor added Katharina Otto-Bernstein'sdocumentary ...
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Warner Italy starts shooting Lucchetti's political comedy
Shooting has just started onWarner Bros Italy's $7.7m (Euros 6m) political comedy, Mio Fratello e'Figlio Unico.Directed by DanieleLucchetti, the film is about a young seminarian who becomes a fascistand then a left-wing activist. It is inspired by Antonio Pennacchi'snovel Il fasciocomunista.The film is produced byCattleya, and written by Stefano Rulli ...
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Rai Cinema boards Salvatores's Naima
Rai Cinema has boardedOscar-winning director Gabriele Salvatores's next film, a $25.5m (Euros20m) English-language drama about a ship's last voyage.The film, with a workingtitle is Naima, is written byUmberto Contarello and Salvatores, who won a best foreign language Oscar for Mediterraneo.Naima is a romantic adventure drama about an Irish shipcaptain and ...
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Chiesa picks up rights to Fortnight's Libero Va Bene
Adriana Chiesa Enterprises(ACE) has picked up world-wide rights to Kim Rossi Stuart's DirectorsFortnight film Anche Libero Va Bene.The drama marks CrimeNovel actor Rossi Stuart'sdirectorial debut, and is about family strife seen through the eyes ofan 11-year-old boy. The picture is produced by Palomar and Rai Cinemaand stars Rossi Stuart and ...
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Paula Wagner to head Venice's Lion of the Future jury
TheVenice Film Festival has announced that Paula Wagner will this year head theLion of the Future jury which awards a prize to the best first film. Germandirector Philip Groening will preside over the Orizzonticompetition.The Lionof the Future jury will award $127,565 (Euros 100,000) to the best firstfeature in any section ...
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Italian distributor pioneers straight-to-newsstand distribution
AnItalian distributor is launching today an alternative distribution model forAlex Infascelli's new thriller, H2Odio, which will be released straight-to-DVD and soldwith national daily La Repubblica.Releasedby 52, the distribution company set up by Infascelli,Claudio Mieli and the Espresso publishing group, H2Odio will be available for two monthsin newspaper kiosks across Italy ...
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Wild Bunch gets on board L'Amico di Famiglia
WildBunch has taken international distribution rights to Paolo Sorrentino'sCannescompetition title L'Amico di Famiglia (Friend Of The Family).The $4.3m(Euros 3.4m) comedy-drama focuses on the odd attraction between a 60-year-oldphysically repellent loan shark (Giacomo Rizzo) and apretty young girl (Laura Chiatti). It also chronicleshis friendship with local cowboy-business partner-country music fanatic (Fabrizio ...
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Moretti tops golden week with Donatellos triumph
Nanni Moretti's The Caiman was named best picture at the 50th David di Donatello film awards, and took home six prizes. Its main rival, MichelePlacido's Crime Novel, walked away with eight Donatellos, including best screenplay and supporting actor.The Caiman, which screens in competition in Cannes, is a mix of marital ...
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Sardinia sets up film fund and first regional tax law
TheItalian island of Sardinia is to establish aregional film fund, along the lines of existing regional funds in Germany and Belgium.TheSardinian Film Fund will have an annual budget of $2.4m-$3.6m (Euros 2-3m) tobe invested in development, production and promotion.Eligibleprojects will be required to spend 120% of the funds they received ...
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Venice and Udine festivals form new alliance
The Venice Film Festival andEurope's biggest Asian film festival, UdineFar East Film, are to collaborate. The deal signed between thetwo festivals will further help Venice director Marco Mueller keep a close eye on alldevelopments in Asian cinema by tapping in to Udine's network of contacts and Asian film consultants.The Udine ...
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Caiman, Crime Novel lead Donatello nominations
Nanni Moretti's The Caiman and Michele Placido's Crime Novel scooped the lion's share of nominations for the David Di Donatellos, with 13 nods each.Placido's crime epic and Moretti's political expose-cum-marital drama both earned nominations in all the main categories for Italy's top film awards, including best film, best director, and ...
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Controversy counts for The Caiman at box office
Political controversy kept Nanni Moretti's controversial The Caiman on the front page and helped it to a sound opening at the box office.The film opened in Italy on 380 prints on Friday, earning $481,000 (Euros 400,000) onits first day.It wasthe widest release to date for Moretti, whose last film, ...
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IIF lines up production and distribution slate
Rome'sItalian International Film (IIF) is lining up an ambitious new production anddistribution slate, which includes historical epic The Inquiry starring Dolph Lundgren andMax Von Sydow.Italiandirector Giulio Base recently wrapped production onthe $10m (Euros 8.5m) action-thriller, which is set three years after thecrucifixion of Jesus Christ and sees Roman Emperor Tiberius ...